COVID-19

Generally, business interruption insurance is part of first-party commercial property insurance. Usually, the insurer agrees to pay to, or reimburse, the business owner for the actual loss of business income the business experienced because of the interruption to the business itself, including while the business if being restored, when the interruption was caused by direct physical loss, damage, […]

The Ontario Government has ordered the mandatory closure of all non-essential workplaces, effective March 24, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. This order will be in effect for fourteen days with the possibility of being extended as the circumstances evolve. Here is a list of “essential workplaces” in Ontario, as declared: ttps://s3.amazonaws.com/files.news.ontario.ca/opo/en/2020/03/list-of-essential-workplaces-2.html For the purposes of this

Due the shutdown of non-essential workplaces, effective March 24, 2020, many employers will be considering temporarily laying off employees, at those employers who do not qualify as “essential workplaces”. This is not a risk-fee, easy-to-do step by an employer, despite the catastrophic circumstances. Ontario’s Employment Standards Act, 2000 (the “ESA”) allows employers to invoke a

Employees in Ontario are protected by Ontario's Human Rights Code (the "Code") in terms of the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, those protections include:  – it is discriminatory to treat employees who have, or are perceived to have, contracted COVID-19, in a negative manner, for reasons unrelated to public health and safety; – employers have a duty to accommodate employees

You have options and may be legally permitted not to attend work. Your position will be job-protected, but your employer will not be required to pay your regular pay during your leave of absence. We now have "declared emergency" and "infectious disease emergencies" leaves of absence from the workplace, per the new legislation the Ontario

If you have been laid off, cannot attend work due to the virus, or must stay home to care for children due to the school closures, here is a complete guide to the federal government’s Employment Insurance benefits available to you during this crisis and emergency, including answering your questions about being self-employed and “top-ups”

Pending a provincial lock-down, except for essential services, which is imminently expected in Ontario, many employees are concerned about the ability of their employer to disallow them attending work. The other issue is entitlement to pay for employees who are requested not to attend work, or who elect to take a new, statutory leave of

Due to the provincial shutdown, effective on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 at 11:59 p.m., if you are laid off or cannot be employed remotely, here is a Quick Reference Guide to the income and other supports available to you during this emergency:  INCOME SUPPORT: If you are laid off due to work closures: Apply for

Since 2005, we have had federal legislation enacted to require and govern preventative measures due to pandemic, like COVID-19, including mandatory self-isolation and quarantine and enforcement measures. The federal Health Minister is also statutorily empowered to require Ontario to take quarantine measures, including stay-at-home orders, closure of non-essential businesses and to establish self-isolation/quarantine facilities for

The COVID-19 pandemic requires urgent communication, co-operation and flexibility between separated and divorced co-parents. Both co-parents and their child(ren) must isolate at home, like everyone else. This may require adjustments to existing parenting orders or arrangements.  Co-parents must immediately: [1] self-isolate and socially distance not only themselves, even when the child is not residing with