On June 15, 2010, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruled that Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd. wrongfully terminated the employment of Frank Naccarato, one of its return-to-vendor clerks.

Naccarato began to work for Costco in 1990, but became depressed and began sick leave in July 2002. Four years later, Costco stopped his long-term disability benefits, and ultimately terminated his employment in July 2007. Costco alleged a frustration of the employment contract, citing written comments by Naccarato’s doctor indicating that Naccarato’s return to work could not be predicted. read more »

Top RCMP Commissioner, William Elliott, is the latest potential subject of workplace harassment complaints. Almost a dozen top officials in the force approached the Prime Minister’s Office with accusations against Elliott which included verbal abuse, insulting treatment and a generally “abrasive” management style.

Although the allegations only recently surfaced in the public domain, one source reports that Elliott received repeated admonitions by senior colleagues following his heated exchanges with other officers. The RCMP had also spent over $44,000.00 last year to send Elliott on three days of “executive coaching”. In Elliott’s own words regarding the training: “I learned that my actions can and did have unintended, sometimes negative impacts.” read more »

Two high-ranking public servants moved forward on reform plans designed to save Public Works billions of dollars. The future looked bright. But suddenly in August 2006, both were publicly vilified and handed their pink slips. As a result of their termination, the two individuals sued the federal government for wrongful dismissal. 

A 108-page decision of adjudicator Dan Quigley of the Public Service Labour Relations Board revealed damning tidbits such as the government’s refusal to hand over documents, evidence that called some government testimony into question, and emails revealing plots to remove the two servants.

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A worker informs her employer that she’s been diagnosed with cancer and plans to work up to the day before her surgery. She assumes she’ll have a job to return to, but the employer says that she resigned. Was she wrongfully terminated?

51-year old leasing agent, Elsa Torrejon had worked with Weston Property Management Corp. of Toronto for six months before discovering a lump in her breast in the fall of 2008. After undergoing testing and mentioning the situation to her employer, the cancer was confirmed a few months later in February 2009. It was at this point that Torrejon informed her employers of her plan to work up to the day before her scheduled surgery. She assumed that her job was secure.

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Last summer, a survey conducted by the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) revealed that 75% of employers supported the then-proposed legislation for Bill 168, Ontario’s new law on workplace violence and prevention. read more »

Stacey Walker, a 28-year old medical imaging technologist, claims that she was the object of sexual harassment, racial taunts and other abuses from September 2008, when she started working at the Toronto Western Hospital, part of the University Health Network (UHN).

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A former employee has filed a $523,000 claim with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice for wrongful dismissal and personal damages.

Lisa Rundle, a former director for Penguin Canada, claims that the company terminated her employment following her complaints of sexual harassment by former president, David Davidar. read more »

An employee who held the position of Vice President of Sales and was paid a salary of $536,365.00 per year was awarded 12 months notice for being wrongfully dismissed by his employer.

The employer dismissed the employee alleging cause on the basis that the employee stole carpet from his employer and had it installed at his home at the employer’s cost. The employer also alleged that the employee caused the employer to substitute a lower quality steel for the steel specified in the purchase order of one of the employer’s customers. read more »

Ford Motor Co. of Canada Ltd. has been fined $1,000,000.00 by an Ontario court for two counts of violating the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

The first violation occurred when an employee of the Oakville assembly plant was killed at the workplace after a co-worker operating a forklift accidentally reversed into him killing him instantly. The Ministry of Labour’s investigation found that the operator of the forklift did not keep a clear view of the vehicle’s path of travel, resulting in the loss of life. read more »

784 jobs have been lost in Ontario by the Ministry of Labour after a safety blitz was conducted following the death of four workers this past Christmas Eve.

The Ministry of Labour conducted a three month safety audit of approximately 2,800 workplaces across Ontario. More then half of these sites were shutdown when inspectors found problems at these sites including lack of properly trained staff and fall hazards. read more »