Legal Update

The purpose of a Power of Attorney for Personal Care
What is the purpose of a Power of Attorney for
Personal Care?

A Power of Attorney for Personal Care (“POA”) is a legal document in which an individual can specify who has authority to make care decisions on his or her behalf in the event that person becomes mentally incapable of doing ...


Workplace Accommodation of Employees Caring for Elderly Parents
Workplace Accommodation of Employees Caring for
Elderly Parents

The Ontario Human Rights Code recognizes and protects employees against discrimination on the basis of “family status”.  Traditionally, employees have requested accommodation on the basis of family status relating to obligations associated with child care; however, as the population of ...

Posted: April 10, 2013|Legal Update|0 comments

What hospitals and hospital workers need to know about the Employment Standards Act, 2000
What hospitals and hospital workers need to know about
the Employment Standards Act, 2000

The Employment Standards Act, 2000 (“ESA”) is the primary piece of legislation governing Ontario’s workplaces.  It establishes minimum standards with respect to hours of work, overtime, vacation, public holidays, wages, leaves of absence, layoffs, terminations, severance, and other work-related issues.  ...

Posted: February 4, 2013|Columns, Legal Update|0 comments

Doctors: Pay lower taxes and keep more of your earnings now
Doctors: Pay lower taxes and keep more of your
earnings now

Do you provide your professional medical services directly to a health care institution rather than through a corporation you control? If you do, you may be paying more taxes than you have to. Generally, you can save on taxes if ...

Posted: November 29, 2012|Columns, Legal Update|0 comments

Protecting confidentiality in the health care setting: The menace of social media
Protecting confidentiality in the health care setting:
The menace of social media

Social media has connected the world and provided us with instant access to information in a way that no other innovation has. Most enlightened employers, recognizing the benefits of social media (and that it is not going away), now endorse ...


Taking leave for family emergencies
Taking leave for family emergencies

Family emergencies can impose urgent and important responsibilities on us at any time. When you have to take time off work to help a relative or deal with a personal emergency, how does the law protect your job and your ...

Posted: August 7, 2012|Legal Update|1 comment

Privacy law update: Court of Appeal opens the door to invasion of privacy claims
Privacy law update: Court of Appeal opens the door to
invasion of privacy claims

In an environment where sensitive personal information can be accessed easily, such as in a hospital, invasion of privacy is a concern for employers, employees and the public. The amount of personal information available within the hospital setting, whether about ...

Posted: June 5, 2012|Legal Update|0 comments

Bill 168:  The Year in Review
Bill 168: The Year in Review

It has now been over a year since Bill 168, the Occupational Health and Safety Amendment Act (Violence and Harassment in the Workplace) came into force.  So far, there have not been any reported prosecutions dealing with workplace violence or ...

Posted: February 3, 2012|Legal Update|0 comments

Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and blogs: Managing social media at work
Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and blogs: Managing social
media at work

A recent article in the Globe and Mail described how Canadians spend on average approximately 43.5 hours a month on the Web, which is, almost twice the worldwide average of 23.1 hours. With numbers this high, hospitals have to wonder: ...

Posted: November 2, 2011|Legal Update|0 comments

Class actions against hospitals: Reducing the risk
Class actions against hospitals: Reducing the risk

Class actions would appear poorly suited to conventional medical malpractice litigation as individual issues invariably dominate.  Nevertheless it would be a mistake to believe that hospitals are immune from these proceedings.  Infection claims and claims challenging physician competence are being ...

Posted: October 5, 2011|Health Care Policy, Legal Update|0 comments

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