HR News Canada

by Todd Humber

Top Stories

Blanket workplace bans on compliments and hugs can increase legal risk, lawyer says

The blanket prohibitions that fill most harassment training — never comment on appearance, never touch a co-worker, focus only on performance — can raise an employer’s legal risk instead of lowering it, American employment lawyer …

Bank of Canada found in violation of anti-scab law for second time
One-third of Canadians admit exaggerating AI skills at work: TD survey
Arbitrator strikes down TTC’s random drug and alcohol testing program

Narcissistic leaders resist remote work to protect their power, study finds

Latest News

eBay agreed to pay nearly $50 million to couple sent cockroaches, bloody pig mask by former employees
Leaders want honest feedback – but it’s not always comfortable
‘Drive day and night’: TFI plans to roll out driverless trucks in U.S.
Canadian labour market steadies in second quarter as population growth slows: Indeed
Registered pension plan membership topped 7.4 million in 2024: StatsCan
Digital credential network already links most Canadian colleges, group says
Scotiabank executive Rose Porter honoured for inclusion leadership at Catalyst awards
Criminal gangs increasingly lure people to work in online scam centers, UN migration agency warns
My grandfather kept his rejected degree for 50 years. Decades later, Canada still deskills immigrants
Ottawa lends Millar Western Lumber $100M to cope with tariff impacts
Locked-out Windsor, Ont., tool and die workers to receive severance after year-long dispute

Great Canadian locks out 100 security officers in Toronto, says Unifor

The Agreement | Labour Law

PREMIUM SFU breached collective agreement over tenure timeline delays, arbitrator rules

PREMIUM B.C.’s Capital Regional District can schedule statutory holiday time off unilaterally
PREMIUM City of Pont-Rouge ordered to pay retroactive equity adjustments to ex-workers
PREMIUM Emergency Medical Care denied lockout arbitration bid by Nova Scotia board for dispatchers
PREMIUM Surrey, B.C., school district breached teachers’ professional development agreement at two schools

Collective Agreements

PREMIUM United Steelworkers Local 1-1937 and Pacific Energy Fireplace Products finalize three-year collective agreement covering production workers

A forced-labor crackdown or an end-run around Congress? Dissecting Trump’s new tariffs
OPSEU files unfair labour practice complaints against Ontario government in strike dispute
WestJet offers customers chance to make changes ahead of possible strike
It’s not just business: Why emotions are central to workplace management
How to make the most of an internship, even when the position...
Air Canada, IAMAW ratify deal covering 11,000 workers
AI whitepaper finds job losses lag behind the hype, so far
Union blasts Ontario government for ‘mismanagement’ of forest firefighting efforts
HRCI launches master certificate program for HR leaders
Unifor reaches tentative deal with Coast Mountain Bus Company
In Partnership with Queen's University IRC

Labour Relations

Locked-out Windsor, Ont., tool and die workers to receive severance after year-long dispute

Great Canadian locks out 100 security officers in Toronto, says Unifor

OPSEU files unfair labour practice complaints against Ontario government in strike dispute

Bank of Canada found in violation of anti-scab law for second time

WestJet offers customers chance to make changes ahead of possible strike

Air Canada, IAMAW ratify deal covering 11,000 workers

Union blasts Ontario government for ‘mismanagement’ of forest firefighting efforts
Arbitrator strikes down TTC’s random drug and alcohol testing program
Unifor reaches tentative deal with Coast Mountain Bus Company
Canadians oppose making it harder to strike, finds poll commissioned by labour group
Unifor names General Motors as next U.S. automaker for contract talks

Opinion

Leaders want honest feedback – but it’s not always comfortable

My grandfather kept his rejected degree for 50 years. Decades later, Canada still deskills immigrants

It’s not just business: Why emotions are central to workplace management

What my first job taught me about psychological health and safety

Burnout isn’t new — 18th‑century farm records show workers describing the same exhaustion
What my first job taught me about psychological health and safety
Burnout isn’t new — 18th‑century farm records show workers describing the same exhaustion
Mental health programs alone won’t fix psychological injury among public safety workers
The ‘that’s not fair’ conversation every leader dreads (and how to get it right)

Global HR News

eBay agreed to pay nearly $50 million to couple sent cockroaches, bloody pig mask by former employees
‘Drive day and night’: TFI plans to roll out driverless trucks in U.S.
SHRM Linkage appoints Carolynn Johnson as acting CEO
Criminal gangs increasingly lure people to work in online scam centers, UN migration agency warns
A forced-labor crackdown or an end-run around Congress? Dissecting Trump’s new tariffs

White House wants veterans to replace immigrant truckers who...

SHRM calls for stronger Equal Employment Opportunity data framework...

Explosion in Indian hydropower project tunnel leaves 11 dead...

Benefits Fraud

The ripple effect: Benefits fraud impacts premiums, coverage and healthcare 

The anatomy of benefits fraud: Common schemes and how they’re stopped 

Building a fraud-resistant workplace: What employers need to know 

The hidden cost of benefits fraud: How AI and data science are fighting back

Employment Law

Arbitrator strikes down TTC’s random drug and alcohol testing program

Ontario ombudsman clears Township of Scugog’s off-site CAO hiring meeting

26 Meta employees sue in US, alleging AI-driven layoff picks hit workers on medical and parental leave
B.C. Mountie loses court appeal after coercive sexual relationship with jail guard
When a worker’s stalker becomes the employer’s problem
Nova Scotia board dismisses call centre’s bid to avoid mass layoff notice payments

Mental Health

What my first job taught me about psychological health and safety

Burnout isn’t new — 18th‑century farm records show workers describing the same exhaustion

Mental health programs alone won’t fix psychological injury among public safety workers
PREMIUM Ontario ordered to pay three guards on PTSD leave $12.5K each for posting their photos at jail entrances
Ontario coroner calls for broader mental health coverage after 34 corrections suicides
HR shapes whether workers struggling with mental health seek help or stay silent: Sorenson

Total Rewards

Registered pension plan membership topped 7.4 million in 2024: StatsCan

PREMIUM Nursing home ordered to provide dental coverage with no annual cap

PREMIUM CPKC ordered to restore worker’s benefits until end of 2026
Annual inflation rate eased to 2.8% in June: Statistics Canada
Ontario construction wages climb while B.C. rates hold steady: StatsCan
PREMIUM Arbitrator resolves four implementation disputes in CPKC-Teamsters pension deal

Artificial Intelligence

One-third of Canadians admit exaggerating AI skills at work: TD survey

AI whitepaper finds job losses lag behind the hype, so far

Paylocity launches AI agents across HR, payroll and recruiting platform
26 Meta employees sue in US, alleging AI-driven layoff picks hit workers on medical and parental leave
Talogy partners with Symulate to build AI-powered talent simulations
Venture for Canada pitches students as AI guides for small businesses

Recruitment

Paylocity launches AI agents across HR, payroll and recruiting platform

Ontario ombudsman clears Township of Scugog’s off-site CAO hiring meeting

Most workers have encountered co-workers who misrepresented skills or identity: Survey
Employers take 68 days to hire while top candidates disappear in just 10: Labrie
Relationship-driven recruitment strategy lands Abbotsford, B.C., 26 new family doctors
Applications for federal public service jobs drop by almost 30 per cent

Retention

Afni improves retention using UKG workforce platform globally

U.K.’s overworked staff eye the exit, HiBob survey finds

Nearly a quarter of Canadian workers plan to change jobs
Four in 10 Canadian professionals plan job search: Robert Half
Nova Scotia opens applications for healthcare worker recruitment grants
How to know if it’s time to quit your first job

Remote & Hybrid Work

Union to stage Ottawa street action over crowded federal office spaces

Office market sees first full-year of recovery since pandemic disruption: CBRE

Commuting costs, cramped offices drive resistance to return-to-office mandates
Ontario’s WSIB must restore flex work before office return, arbitrator rules
Return to office, hybrid work can trigger migraines – advocates warn
Hybrid work is not always the golden compromise employees expect – even as more companies implement it

People on the Move

SHRM Linkage appoints Carolynn Johnson as acting CEO

Lotto.com names Amanda Coyle vice-president of human resources

Corel names Tracy Porter-Stevens as vice-president of people
Employment Hero names Chris Pinkerton as Canadian managing director
UKG hires Oracle executive Rod Johnson as chief revenue officer
Red Dot names Doug Bobay vice-president of global human resources

Industry News

Paylocity launches AI agents across HR, payroll and recruiting platform

Menzies Aviation standardizes scheduling for 65,000 workers with UKG

Talogy partners with Symulate to build AI-powered talent simulations
Afni improves retention using UKG workforce platform globally
Dayforce adds WorkWhile to contingent staffing network
Staffing industry pioneer Bill Pollock dies at 97

Top Employers

Home Hardware takes top spot among Canadian retailers for workplace culture: Forbes

CAE named to TIME’s Canada’s Best Companies 2026 list

RONA named one of Canada’s Best Workplaces in Retail and Hospitality
Viatris Canada earns spot on Best Workplaces list for 2026
AGT Products earns Great Place To Work certification
Constant Contact earns Great Place To Work certification

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Scotiabank executive Rose Porter honoured for inclusion leadership at Catalyst awards

SHRM calls for stronger Equal Employment Opportunity data framework after U.S. rescission

Entrepreneurs on the Rise program moves under Open Door Group in B.C.
Quebec pension plans must blend mortality rates for non-binary members
Are algorithms unfairly screening out immigrant job applications?
The Muslim wage gap in Canada’s largest metro area costs workers an estimated $1.2 billion a year
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