Setting up a new business in Ontario can raise legal questions and concerns about recruiting and hiring your workforce. Recruiting the right candidate for employment is just the first step of entering into an employment relationship. See our first post on the requirements for recruiting (https://www.canada-usbizlawblog.com/2019/12/10/recruiting-and-employing-your-workforce-in-ontario-part-one-recruiting-your-workers/). The second step is to understand the differences between …
The “Newest” “New NAFTA”: Initial Considerations as the USMCA Comes Into Force
The United States, Canada and Mexico signed a “Protocol of Amendments” to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (“USMCA” or “new NAFTA”) on December 10, 2019 that clears the way for passage in the Democrat-led U.S. House of Representatives by the end of the 2019 legislative year, and the U.S. Senate and Parliament of Canada by mid-January/early-February …
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Recruiting and Employing Your Workforce in Ontario Part One: Recruiting Your Workers
Entering into any new market for business can raise questions about the legal issues and requirements of recruiting and employing your workforce. American employers may be nervous about operating without “at-will” employment of their workforce. Some employers may be tempted to use an “easy strategy” of independent contractor arrangements in place of employment relationships. This …
Franchising in Canada: 2020 and Beyond
As the 2020 New Year starts to take shape and we begin a new decade, it is natural to wonder about how things will change and what will remain the same. Franchising, as a business growth model, will continue to be looked upon as a viable option and not just a novel approach for the …
You’re Not Ganja Believe This, Health Canada, but the Edible Cannabis Regulations Are a Buzz Kill
Protecting the health and safety of Canadians is a top priority for the Government of Canada. This overarching objective has, of course, made its way into laws restricting the marketing, product development, and ingredients of edible cannabis products, which will soon be marketed and sold to Canadians. The new regulations (the “Regulations”) to the Cannabis …
Afta’ NAFTA isn’t in D.C. and Ottawa
As Canada and the United States wrap up more than two years of work on the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), one pressing question remains for the cross-border business community—what can we expect after NAFTA? The answer rests not in Washington, D.C. nor Ottawa, but in state and provincial capitals throughout North America. Before turning to …
The Limits to Class Action Privacy Claims in Ontario
Since the Ontario Court of Appeal’s decision in Jones v Tsige,[1] creating an Ontario version of the tort of invasion of privacy called “intrusion upon seclusion”, privacy-related class actions have emerged as a growth area. Many of these have focused on the institutional release of personal information and some have been successfully certified.[2] However, a …
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Are Canadian Franchises Ready to Expand Internationally?
Historically, Canadian franchisors have not ventured into foreign markets in great numbers. When they have, it has mostly been to the massive, franchise savvy, U.S. market, with very mixed results. However, times have changed. Today, we see more international expansion from Canadian franchisors, and more are expected in the future. What is causing this change? …
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WSIB’s Rate Framework Reform: A Third Policy Update and What Can You Do Now
This is the third post in my series of updates and insights to assist Schedule 1 employers with the transition to the new WSIB Rate Framework (“RF”) which will commence on January 1, 2020. The last post spotlighted two key policy updates, the Policy 14-02-01 Employer Level Premium Setting and Policy 14-02-06 Employer Premium Adjustments. …
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WSIB’s Rate Framework Reform – The Countdown Continues
This is the second part in the series of updates and insights to assist Schedule 1 employers with the transition to the new WSIB Rate Framework (“RF”) which will commence on January 1, 2020. The last post contained the broad strokes on how the new RF would work and referenced the fact that the WSIB …
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