Articles

The government has re-introduced the Public Sector and MPP Accountability and Transparency Act.

Arbitrator George Surdykowski has rendered a significant award in which he concludes that the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association and the Ontario Government formed part of a school board’s 2012-14 collective agreements with OECTA. This award addresses an outstanding issue about the status of the collective agreements imposed on school boards by the Government for the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 school years.

Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation comes into force on July 1, 2014, and may significantly affect the way school boards are able to communicate with parents, employees, suppliers and stakeholders.

Bill 135: Ensuring Asthma Friendly Schools aims to expand the prevention, monitoring and training obligations for Ontario school boards with a view to protecting the safety of students with asthma. The debate around Bill 135 suggests that similar obligations could eventually be imposed to cover other chronic medical conditions faced by Ontario students.

In Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic District School Board and Canadian Office & Professional Employees Union, Local 529, 2014 CanLII 9874 (ON LA), Arbitrator Goodfellow was required to determine whether the School Board continued to be bound by provisions in the recently expired, 2008-2012 collective agreement, which could potentially increase the daily hours of work of educational assistants.

Citing the 22 years of clean service, but also noting an attempt to minimize the severity of her actions, Arbitrator Norm Jesin suggested that he would reinstate an EA without compensation after she was terminated provided that the union agreed to waive the operation of the sunset clause in her case. The termination occurred after the grievor intervened in the restraint of a kindergarten student by another EA and dragged the student by the wrist along the pavement into the school building.

A Report from the Canadian Council of Chief Executives has made several recommendations with regards to improving teacher quality, including more frequent performance evaluations and changes to the compensation structure of teachers.

In a recent decision the Ontario Court of Appeal has protected the integrity of internal academic appeal processes at Universities by upholding the decision to strike a statement of claim brought against the University of Ottawa, and others, which sought to re-litigate an academic dispute.

Face à un déficit budgétaire d' environ 13 milliards $, le gouvernement ontarien cherche des moyens d'épargner. Première cible: les travailleurs du secteur public.

Consistent with recent provincial parliamentary initiatives to codify awareness and prevention of bullying,[1] the Supreme Court of Canada released a judgment on September 27, 2012 that upheld a minor's right to anonymity in a case involving cyber-bullying.