Author(s):
Brian Thiessen, KC, Shaun Parker
Mar 29, 2018
While some employers in British Columbia are covered by federal legislation, most are covered by provincial legislation with the nature of an employer’s business being critical in determining which legislation applies.
In the British Columbia section of an article published in Lexology Navigator: Employment and Labour 2018, authors Brian Thiessen, a partner in Osler’s Employment and Labour Group, and associate Shaun Parker, detail some key considerations for employers in B.C., including the following:
- coverage of legislation (provincial or federal) as determined by the nature of the employer’s business
- Canada’s no at-will employment
- limitations on the ability to terminate employment
- B.C.’s privacy legislation which imposes rules on the protection of employee information in relation to the collection, retention, use and disclosure of information
- emerging trends in employment law in B.C. including privacy, constitutional protection of union activities and workplace investigations
- B.C. statutes governing employment including the Employment Standards Act
- employment contracts and employee/contractor misclassification
- hiring process, including job advertisements and background checks
- wages, hours, overtime and payroll
- discrimination and harassment
- family and medical leave
- trade secrets, restrictive covenants and intellectual property
- labour relations including unions and layoffs
- discipline and termination
Find out more detailed information about British Columbia’s labour laws.
Lexology Navigator is a comparative global Q&A guide designed to provide business professionals with updates and analysis from today’s leading lawyers.