AI Systems for Ontario Doctors Hallucinate: Auditor General
Ontario’s auditor general reported that AI scribe tools used by doctors frequently hallucinate, misrecord prescriptions, and omit mental‑health details. Nine of twenty evaluated systems fabricated clinical information, and twelve recorded wrong drugs, while seventeen missed key mental‑health cues. The audit also uncovered that 94% of AI usage by public‑service staff occurs on unapproved generative‑AI sites, many deemed unsafe. The government accepted five recommendations to tighten AI governance, training, and procurement.
B.C. Boosts Pension Standards with New Rules for Employers, Members
British Columbia is rolling out a two‑stage amendment to its Pension Benefits Standards Act, with key provisions taking effect on April 30 and October 30, 2026. The reforms introduce automatic contribution escalation for defined‑contribution plans, broaden survivor‑pension options in defined‑benefit schemes, and...
Court Tosses Workers' Mass Lawsuit over Ontario Vaccine Directive
Ontario’s Court of Appeal dismissed a mass lawsuit filed by more than 400 current and former healthcare workers who claimed their COVID‑19 vaccine‑related suspensions violated Charter rights. The appeal in Dorceus v. Ontario upheld a lower‑court ruling that the case...
Was It Reprisal? TTC Worker Fired After Harassment Complaint
A long‑tenured Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) engineering technologist who filed a harassment complaint and later a Professional Engineers of Ontario (PEO) grievance was dismissed on Dec. 4 2024. The Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) ruled the termination was not retaliation for protected...
Hidden Cost of Open Offices with RTW Mandates
Return‑to‑office (RTO) mandates are prompting employee pushback, highlighted by BCE’s recent layoffs of staff caught “swipe‑and‑go” – clocking in only to leave. The federal government’s RTO push has similarly sparked unrest among public‑sector workers who value remote productivity. Beyond commute...
Most Canadians with Chronic Conditions Say Health-Care System Falls Short
A Maple survey of more than 1,500 Canadians with chronic conditions finds 75% say the health‑care system only sometimes or never meets their needs. Over half struggle to locate practitioners who understand their condition, and 83% describe care as reactive...
Would Canada Ever Ban AI-Related Layoffs Like China?
A Hangzhou court ruled that employers cannot fire or demote workers solely to replace them with artificial intelligence, siding with a senior tech employee who refused a lower‑paid transfer. The judgment underscores AI’s intended role to augment labor rather than...
$2.4 Million for Exec After Company Breaches Contract
Ontario Superior Court ordered Sigma Lithium Corp. to pay former chief development officer Jamie Flegg more than $2.4 million CAD (≈ $1.78 million USD) after finding the company breached its employment contract and constructively dismissed him. The judgment includes $1.898 million CAD in share‑sale damages, $100,000...
Ontario Proposing Faster Police Record Checks
Ontario is moving to amend the Police Record Checks Reform Act, 2015 to accelerate vulnerable sector police checks used for hiring in child‑care, health‑care and seniors’ care. The proposal would allow designated police services to process checks for applicants outside...
$225,000: Ontario Court Looks at Union Activity in Benefits Fraud Case
Ontario's Divisional Court affirmed a labour board decision that cleared Unifor of breaching its duty of fair representation after a General Motors employee was terminated over alleged benefits fraud. The worker, on medical leave since 1999, was accused of submitting...
When Can an Employer Relocate an Employee?
Ontario Labour Relations Board decisions in Rainbow Concrete Industries Ltd. v. Grace and v. Gallagher confirmed that mandatory employee relocations can amount to constructive dismissal when they fundamentally alter employment terms. Both long‑term workers were ordered to move 125 km, creating...
Is the Hantavirus a Risk for Canadian Workplaces?
A deadly Andes hantavirus outbreak on the Dutch‑flagged MV Hondius cruise ship has killed three passengers and infected eight, highlighting the only known human‑to‑human hantavirus strain. In Canada, hantavirus cases remain rare, averaging five annually and caused by the Sin Nombre...
BCE Fires Employees over Alleged ‘Swipe and Go’ Attendance: Report
Bell Canada’s parent BCE Inc. dismissed a small number of employees after uncovering a “swipe and go” scheme where staff swiped their access cards to log presence and then left the office. The terminations were classified as “for cause,” meaning...
Ottawa Introduces New Regulations for Immigration and Citizenship Consultants
Canada’s Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship department announced new regulations that will take effect on July 15, 2026, expanding the authority of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC). The rules give the College stronger enforcement tools, higher penalties, and...
‘Tokenmaxxing’: Is Your Company Measuring AI the Wrong Way?
Employers are increasingly tracking AI "tokens" – the basic units of language‑model processing – as a proxy for employee productivity. Experts warn that "token‑maxxing" merely measures tool intensity, not work quality, and can drive hidden costs as token prices remain...
What Canada's Brain Drain Means for Workforce Strategy
Canada is experiencing an accelerating brain drain as native‑born talent and highly educated immigrants leave for higher‑paying roles abroad. New analysis shows one‑in‑five immigrants exit within 25 years, with doctorate holders twice as likely to depart within five years. Housing...
'On the Precipice': Is Your Organization Close to a Culture Collapse?
A Cambridge University study warns that corporate culture in large, complex firms behaves like a fragile public good, teetering on a critical edge. Even modest disruptions—such as a merger, CEO turnover, or rapid workforce shifts—can trigger an abrupt collapse in...
Can a Vaccine Mandate Be Avoided because of an Anxiety Disorder?
A Calgary teacher who quit rather than receive a COVID‑19 vaccine lost her discrimination lawsuit. The Alberta judge ruled her diagnosed anxiety disorder did not constitute a functional inability to be vaccinated, and upheld the school’s policy that only severe...
Collective Agreement: Town of Pincher Creek
The Town of Pincher Creek and CUPE Local 927 signed a four‑year collective agreement covering April 1 2026 through March 31 2030. The contract guarantees a uniform 3% wage increase each year and adds a comprehensive slate of 12 paid holidays, including the National...
Collective Agreement: Windsor Women Working with Immigrant Women
Unifor Local 240 ratified a three‑year collective agreement for Windsor’s women‑focused immigrant workforce, effective April 1 2026 through March 31 2029. The contract delivers a 5% wage increase in 2026 followed by 2% annual raises, and expands vacation to five weeks after ten years...
How Are Employers Using AI Agents in Canada?
Canadian executives see AI agents as central to future work, with 77% already deploying them for tasks like knowledge sharing and 66% planning fully integrated AI‑human workforces. The technology is reshaping hiring and performance management, as 59% report changes in...
Using AI to Mask Accents of Call Centre Agents 'Misleading,' Says Union
Canadian telecom unions warned Ottawa to curb AI use after uncovering real‑time accent‑masking AI in call centres, notably at TELUS. They cited 20,000 jobs lost over the past decade‑plus and said AI‑driven surveillance and offshoring threaten remaining roles. The alliance...
‘Almost at a Crisis’: Canada's Restaurants Face Perfect Storm of Costs and Cautious Consumers
Canada’s restaurant sector is confronting a perfect storm of rising labour and food costs, dwindling foot traffic and a tightening talent pool. Restaurants Canada’s Q1 report shows 49% of operators face lower sales, 71% see profitability slip and one‑third are...
AI and ‘the Art of the Possible’: HR Leaders From BC Hydro, CBC Weigh In
HR leaders at BC Hydro and CBC are exploring AI to sharpen strategic workforce planning, close emerging skill gaps, and boost productivity. Both executives stress the need for robust data architecture and data‑literacy training to empower HR business partners. They...
$920,000: CFO Wins Full 5-Year Payout After Early Firing
An Ontario Superior Court granted a former chief financial officer a default judgment for the full balance of his five‑year contract after he was terminated without cause just months after starting. The court found the contract’s termination clauses violated the...
'Non-Taxable': CRA Audit Reveals Workers Told They Weren't Being Taxed
The Canada Revenue Agency has launched an audit of Arden Professional Client Care, a Nova Scotia provider of care services that has received more than C$184 million (≈US$135 million) in government funding over eight years. Workers were told their hourly wages were...
Should Canadian Employers Ban Cellphone Use at Work?
Jamie Dimon’s recent criticism of “phubbing” in meetings has pushed cellphone‑use policies into the boardroom, echoing a 2023 German study that linked simple phone‑limit requests to higher productivity. The Financial Times notes firms are experimenting with lockers and pouches for...
Court Confirms when a Worker Is a Dog’s ‘Owner’
Ontario’s Dog Owners’ Liability Act (DOLA) expands the legal definition of a dog’s owner to anyone who has care and control of the animal at the time of an incident. A court upheld that a part‑time dog walker was the...
HRTO Hits Pause on Worker's Discrimination Case
The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) has deferred a discrimination claim filed by an Ontario worker against Access Community Services and its director, Tabitha Loughlin. The deferral stems from five overlapping union grievances that address discipline, discrimination, a poisoned...
Grievance over Daily, Weekly Overtime Dismissed by Arbitrator
Teamsters Local 230’s grievance over overtime pay at Toronto Redi‑Mix was dismissed after arbitrator Norm Jesin interpreted the contract language to mean daily overtime applies only until the 44‑hour weekly threshold, not in addition to weekly overtime. The union argued...
Ottawa Unveils $1.5-billion Package to Counter U.S. Tariffs
Ottawa announced a $1.5 billion CAD (≈$1.1 billion USD) package to shield Canadian firms from recent U.S. tariffs on steel, aluminum and copper. The plan includes a new $1 billion CAD (≈$730 million USD) financing program through the Business Development Bank of Canada and...
The High Cost of Withholding Earned Compensation
Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice ruled in Kirchmair v. EXP Global Inc. that an employer’s deliberate refusal to pay a non‑discretionary bonus violated the duty of good faith, resulting in a $150,000 moral‑damage award. The employee ultimately received the $148,000...
‘We Are a Small but Mighty Team’
Leanne Dixon, newly appointed vice‑president of talent and communications at the Halifax Port Authority, is merging HR and communications to sharpen the port’s internal culture and external brand. Her background in energy, government and consulting informs a people‑first strategy that...
New Survey Shows Merit Increases for 2026 in Canada
Canadian employers largely stuck to their 2026 compensation projections, keeping merit increases at an average of 3.0% while total pay rose 3.3%. Only 4% of the 271 surveyed firms applied uniform across‑the‑board raises, opting instead to differentiate pay based on...
Canada First in G7 to Approve Generic Ozempic
Health Canada has granted approval for the first generic version of semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic, making Canada the first G7 nation to do so. The generic injection, submitted by Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, is indicated for once‑weekly treatment of adult...
Reverse Recruiting: Desperate Jobseekers, Pay to Play — and a New Headache for HR
Reverse recruiting lets jobseekers pay $5,000‑plus for recruiters to run their search, a trend fueled by AI‑optimized resumes and a tight labour market. In Canada, employment statutes forbid charging candidates, yet many services skirt the rules by rebranding as career...
How to Run Vacation Blackouts – and Still Meet Your Duty to Accommodate
In 2019 a Brick sales associate was denied a vacation request to visit her father in India during a peak‑season blackout, leading to a Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario case. The tribunal dismissed the claim, finding the employee had not...
Budgeting for AI: Why Many Employers Are Getting It Wrong
Tech giants such as Alphabet, Meta, Amazon and Microsoft are slated to spend $674 billion on AI‑heavy capital projects by 2026, while simultaneously slashing tens of thousands of jobs. Business leaders, especially in Canada, are wrestling with how to budget for...
Worker Fired After Refusing Drug Test
A British Columbia privacy adjudicator ruled that Altrad Services Ltd. lacked legal authority to collect and use a painter’s personal information after a drug‑dog search at an LNG Canada site. The worker refused a drug and alcohol test, was terminated,...
Why Burnout Is an Executive Function Problem
Canadian employers are seeing record burnout, with 47% of workers reporting exhaustion – a sharp rise from 33% in 2023. Expert Shari Black argues the symptom is an executive‑function overload caused by how modern knowledge work is structured, not merely...
Collective Agreement: Alberta Millwrights Maintenance
The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America Local 1460 in Edmonton ratified a two‑year collective agreement covering 130 millwrights, effective May 3 2026 through April 30 2028. Hourly wages rise modestly, with journeymen moving to $58.50 CAD (≈$43 USD) and foremen to $64.00 CAD (≈$47 USD)....
Collective Agreement: FBM Canada GSD
The Labourers’ International Union of North America Local 1059 ratified a three‑year collective agreement for FBM Canada GSD, effective April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2029. The contract introduces a 90‑day probation period, expands paid holidays, and sets vacation tiers up to four weeks...
Is Termination Pay Required? Worker Leaves Before End of Working Notice
An Alberta Labour Relations Board hearing concluded that a worker who gave one‑week notice, failed to return on Monday and emptied his locker had abandoned his job, eliminating the employer’s obligation to provide termination pay. The board overturned a July 31, 2025...
‘Unprecedented Crisis’: Quebec Furniture Maker Shuts Down Operations
South Shore Furniture, a Quebec family‑owned maker founded in 1940, announced the shutdown of its Sainte‑Croix plant and two other facilities, eliminating 126 jobs after sales plunged 77 percent. The company blames U.S. tariffs and a flood of cheap Asian...
Yukon Case Puts Domestic Violence Leave – and Manager Bias – in Spotlight
A Yukon University researcher was terminated the day after returning from a five‑day domestic‑violence leave, prompting a human‑rights tribunal that found the dismissal discriminatory. The case spotlights inconsistent domestic‑violence leave provisions across Canadian provinces and territories, as well as managerial...
Under Pressure: How HR Should Push Back on Questionable Hires
Recent audits of Canada’s IRCC and OC Transpo reveal senior leaders pushing unqualified candidates, exposing HR’s vulnerability to political pressure. In both cases, hires lacked required experience, language skills, or education, undermining merit‑based staffing. Academics Samantha Hancock and Tiziana Casciaro advise...
Rogers Offers Voluntary Buyouts to Half Its Workforce: Report
Rogers Communications is offering voluntary departure packages to roughly half of its 25,000‑strong workforce, affecting about 12,500 employees. The program follows a decision to slash 2026 capital expenditures by up to $1.2 billion CAD (≈$0.9 billion USD), a roughly 30% reduction. Exclusions...
Canadian Workers Want Average of $24,000 More than Employers Will Pay
A new JobLeads report shows Canadian job seekers expect an average salary of C$94,078 (≈ $69,600 USD), while employers offer C$83,668 (≈ $61,900 USD), creating a C$10,411 (≈ $7,700 USD) gap. The disparity widens for Canadian applicants overall, with expectations at C$90,636 (≈ $67,100 USD) versus offers of...
Quebec’s New Minimum Wage Taking Effect May 1
Quebec will raise its general minimum wage to C$16.60 (≈ $12.30 USD) per hour on May 1, 2026, up from C$16.10. The tipped‑worker floor will be C$13.30 (≈ $9.80 USD) and sector‑specific rates for strawberry and raspberry pickers will be C$1.32 and C$4.93 per kilogram respectively....
‘Subject Line: Layoffs’
Oracle announced what analysts call its largest layoff ever, cutting tens of thousands of jobs worldwide to fund a massive AI infrastructure buildout. Employees in the U.S., India, Canada, Mexico and other regions received termination emails from “Oracle Leadership” at...