September 2026 Rosen Sunshine Newsletter

When a building services provider in Ontario is replaced, who bears responsibility for common law wrongful dismissal damages owed to terminated employees? The Ontario Court of Appeal has delivered its first ruling on this critical question, establishing new precedent that significantly impacts liability allocation in the condominium, security, cleaning, and property management sectors.

In Cooper v GFI Solutions Ltd, 2026 ABCJ 142 (Higa, J), the Alberta Court of Justice found a wrongfully dismissed employee was entitled to 8 months’ reasonable notice plus $30k in aggravated damages. This is important for several reasons, but the aggravated damages award is the biggest highlight. I am aware of only one ACJ case with an aggravated damages award this high. I am not aware of any higher.

The Ontario Court of Appeal’s recent decisions in Baker v. Van Dolder’s Home Team Inc. and Li v. Wayfair Canada ULC may be among its most significant in the field of employment law in the past decade. Certainly, the volume of commentary on these cases would suggest that they are.

The Ontario Court of Appeal's decision in Wigdor v Facebook Canada Ltd. addresses whether employers can stop equity compensation vesting during statutory notice periods. When Facebook Canada terminated Dr. Wigdor and cancelled his unvested RSUs worth millions, the court examined whether forfeiture provisions in equity agreements can override Employment Standards Act protections for employee compensation.

An Oregon Court of Appeals decision clarifies how statutory damages are calculated in wage deduction cases, determining whether employees can recover $200 per paycheck or per violation category. The ruling also addresses when employers can use Oregon's class action cure provision to dismiss collective claims before litigation advances.

Yes. In Dome Mine Ltd. and USW, Local 7980, 2026 CanLII 78264 (ON LA), an Ontario arbitrator upheld the termination of an employee who refused a valid post-incident drug and alcohol test.

The Ontario Court of Appeal recently released its decision in Wigdor v. Facebook Canada Ltd., addressing two significant issues for Ontario employers: the enforceability of termination clauses that purport to limit an employee's entitlements, and the application of the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) to equity-based compensation documents such as Restricted Stock Unit (RSU) agreements.

La Cour d'appel de l'Ontario a confirmé que les options d'achat d'actions et autres régimes fondés sur des actions ne seront pas automatiquement considérés comme une rémunération d'emploi ni comme une modalité...

Smart glasses are rapidly transitioning from a novelty seen in movies to a mainstream workplace tool. Devices like the Ray-Ban Meta line and Samsung’s Google-powered glasses are being used across industries.

Le 25 août 2026, le gouvernement fédéral a annoncé un important panier de mesures visant à soutenir les entreprises et les travailleurs canadiens affectés par la plus récente vague de droits de douane imposés par les États-Unis, dans la foulée de l'échec des récentes négociations commerciales entre les deux pays.