On November 14, 2023, the Ontario provincial government tabled

Bill 149

Vey Willetts lawyer Andrew Vey recently spoke with The Lawyer’s Daily for an article entitled “Appellate ruling confirms employers must lead evidence when disputing mitigation efforts: lawyers.“

Vey Willetts lawyer Andrew Vey was recently interviewed by Canadian HR Reporter concerning the expiry of deemed Infectious Disease Emergency Leave (“IDEL”). In an article entitled “Will end of deemed IDEL lead to a rise in constructive dismissal claims?”, Vey walked through the practical implications of this legal development for both employers and employees.

Vey Willetts lawyer Paul Willetts was quoted in the May 3, 2022 edition of Canadian HR Reporter in an article entitled "Fired for cause, worker still gets termination pay".

Earlier this month, Vey Willetts’ lawyer Andrew Vey presented to a the Employment Accessibility Resource Network (“EARN”). EARN is a community initiative that brings together in partnership employers, service providers and other stakeholders with the goal of increasing employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

Vey Willetts lawyer Paul Willetts was recently quoted in The Lawyer's Daily. The article, "New federal rules to require interns to be paid minimum wage, students exempt", considers new regulations under the Canada Labour Code that are poised to take effect this fall.

On June 18, 2020, Vey Willetts’ lawyer Paul Willetts presented at the Law Society of Ontario’s annual 6-Minute Employment Lawyer Conference. The event, which this year was held virtually, featured over 20 speakers and touched on a broad range of workplace issues.

Vey Willetts LLP started operations in August 2014, when lawyers Andrew Vey and Paul Willetts relocated from Toronto to Ottawa, with both keen to return to Eastern Ontario after several years working in the GTA. The firm was a true “start-up”, begun without a single client. As such, job #1 was to get the telephone ringing and clients through the door.

Last week, Vey Willetts lawyer, Paul Willetts, was interviewed by Global National News as part of a report looking at the Canadian Union of Postal Workers’ vote to certify couriers working for Foodora (an app-based food delivery company) in Toronto and Mississauga.

Last month, The Advocates' Quarterly published an article by Paul Willetts entitled "Tagg Industries v. Rieder: Is Storing Pornography on a Work-Issued Laptop Cause for Dismissal". The article looks at some of the lessons for employers coming from this case when asserting cause for dismissal. In particular, employers should ensure that: the misconduct relied upon for cause dismissal reflects an irreparable breach of trust; they can prove their assertion of cause (i.e. lead concrete evidence); the reasons for cause are communicated to the employee in a clear and contemporaneous fashion.

Earlier this month, Vey Willetts lawyer Andrew Vey spoke with Global News about the novel implications of a recent Ontario court decision for sexual harassment complainants. 

Vey Willetts lawyer Paul Willetts was quoted in the February 26, 2018 edition of The Lawyer's Daily. The article, "Automated legal services cost efficient, but can leave clients vulnerable, lawyers say", considers the advantages and disadvantages of artificial intelligence, and the automation of legal documents, for individuals in need of legal assistance. 

Vey Willetts lawyer Paul Willetts was quoted in the October 10, 2017 edition of The Lawyer's Daily. The article, "Timing, Privacy Issues Raised over Ontario's Proposed Domestic Violence Leave Bill," considers recent proposed legislation that seeks to provide employees with up to 10 days of paid leave, and up to 15 weeks of unpaid leave per year to deal with issues arising from episodes of domestic or sexual violence.

Vey Willetts lawyer Paul Willetts was quoted in the August 21, 2017 edition of the Ottawa Metro News. The article, "Be Warned, Job Seekers: There is Such a Thing as a Bad Reference", considers a recent Ontario court case in which the owner of a company provided a negative reference to a prospective employer for an employee that it had recently fired. The prospective employer relied on the negative reference and decided not to offer a job to the individual. Consequently, the individual sued for wrongful dismissal and defamation.

The Lawyer’s Daily quoted Vey Willetts' Paul Willetts in a May 26, 2017 article titled “Changing Workplaces Review may spur sweeping labour law changes in Ontario.” The article explores the recommendations set out in the Changing Workplaces Review Final Report and how these changes, if implemented, may affect Ontario employees and employers.

Last month, The Advocates' Quarterly published an article by Vey Willetts' lawyer, Paul Willetts. Willetts' article, entitled "Punitive Damages in Morison v. Ergo-Industrial Seating: The New 'Wallace Bump'?", looks at whether the Ontario courts are increasingly using punitive damages as a vehicle to award former employee's compensation for "bad faith" employer conduct in dismissal, as aggravated damages (arguably the appropriate vehicle) are more difficult to attain.

Vey Willetts lawyer Paul Willetts was quoted in the March 6, 2017 edition of The Lawyer's Daily in an article entitled "Big changes could be on Way for Ontario workplace landscape." The article discusses the provincial government's Changing Workplaces Review and some of the changes employees and employers in Ontario may expect to see. 

On February 6, 2017 the Ontario Bar Association Labour & Employment Law Section published an article by Vey Willetts' lawyer Andrew Vey. The article, entitled "Summary Judgment Motions for Wrongful Dismissal: An Update", looks at four recent Ontario court cases to assess the use of summary judgement as a tool in employment law litigation.