Labour and Employment Law Blog

It has been a long year-and-a-half for businesses. On top of the personal pandemic fatigue most British Columbians have been feeling for some time now, businesses in particular have had to be nimble in reacting to public health orders, legislative changes, and government policy which has often been announced and implemented on very short notice and with scant available ...

Mask wearing indoors has become a ubiquitous part of the COVID-19 experience. The B.C. government mandated mask wearing in November of 2020 for most indoor public settings. Those orders are premised on face coverings helping to prevent, respond to or alleviate the spread of COVID‐19, when used with other protective measures. Some members of our society have physical ...

It has been several months since Covid-19 forced many people to suddenly shift to working from home. One major benefit of this arrangement is the potential for employers to save on considerable overhead expenses – for example rent and internet connectivity in office buildings. It is important to ask, however, whether these costs are being eliminated, or simply shifted to ...

As discussed in prior blog posts, the Employment Standards Regulation was previously amended to extend the temporary layoff period due to COVID-19 to a maximum of 24 weeks in a period of 28 consecutive weeks provided the layoff started before June 1, 2020 and ended by August 30, 2020. Employers wishing to extend the temporary layoff period beyond 24 weeks must apply for a ...

You can find our previous blog post on the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy here and the first extension details here.

On July 27, 2020, Bill C-20, “An Act respecting further COVID-19 measures” (the “Bill”) received Royal Assent. The substantial changes introduced by the Bill include an extension of the CEWS and revisions to the calculation of the subsidy that ...

The B.C. government has announced that the allowable length of a temporary layoff period under the Employment Standards Act will be further extended during the COVID-19 pandemic, from 16 weeks (within a 20 week consecutive period) to a maximum of 24 weeks. The text of the amended legislation has not yet been released. Read the government news release here.

Our previous blog ...

On June 1, 2020, hourly minimum wage rates were increased in British Columbia.

Details of the increase include:

• General minimum wage increases 5.4% to $14.60 per hour, an increase of $0.75 per hour.
• Liquor server minimum wage increases 9.8% to $13.95 per hour, an increase of $1.25 per hour.
• Resident caretaker minimum wage, per month, increases 5.4% to $876.35 for those who ...

You can find our previous blog post on the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy here.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced today that the 75% Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (the “Wage Subsidy”) will be extended for an additional 12 weeks to August 29, 2020. It was originally set to expire on June 6, 2020. The announcement indicates that the Government will be consulting with ...

On May 4, 2020, the B.C. government passed an Order in Council to add a new provision to the BC Employment Standards Regulation (the “Regulation”) during the current provincial state of emergency. Temporary layoffs related to COVID-19 can now last up to 16 weeks in a 20 consecutive week period without triggering termination of employment.

This is the second change to ...

The B.C. and federal government have announced new benefits for workers impacted by COVID-19.

B.C. Emergency Benefit for Workers

The B.C. Emergency Benefit for Workers will provide a one-time $1,000 payment to people who lost income because of COVID-19. B.C. residents who receive Employment Insurance (“EI”) or the new Canada Emergency Response Benefit ...