With short notice, Education Minister Adriana LaGrange announced
Alberta would be extending winter break for K-12 students. This
announcement has left many parents struggling to balance work with
parenting while school doors are closed.
At the onset of the pandemic, our Labour and Employment team
offered the below guidance for employers with respect to their
obligations to accommodate family status under provincial human
rights legislation in the era of COVID-19. Given the current surge
in case numbers and evolving restrictions, this guidance remains
relevant and more important than ever.
Overview
Family status accommodation remains a difficult area of the law
to navigate. This is in large part due to the inconsistent manner
in which the family status discrimination test has developed in
each province, and the approach taken by provincial human rights
tribunals.
