Preface

• Author: Netta Romano
• Pages: 17-18

xvii

Preface

It is said that the only constant in life is change, and while I expected to be updating the

first edition of Employment Law for Paralegals at some point in time, I didn’t expect to

be doing so quite this soon. Between the changes introduced by the new Progressive

Conservative government elected in Ontario mere months before the first edition was

published and the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, this updated edition

became necessary.

The book continues to address both the common law and statutory legal framework

governing labour and employment law—substantive and procedural—beginning with a

review of the Employment Standards Act, 2000, the floor of rights to which most workers

in Ontario are entitled. It then reviews the common law—the contract of employment,

rights and responsibilities of workplace parties, privacy, and termination. Lastly, we turn

to a comprehensive analysis of the Ontario Human Rights Code; Occupational Health and

Safety A ct; Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997; and Labour Relations Act, 1995,

including step-by-step guides of the practice and procedure before various adjudicative

decision-makers as well as sample forms and pleadings. Amendments made to all legis-

lation since 2018 have been incorporated in the text.

New to the second edition is a sample employment contract found in Chapter 4 and

a more comprehensive discussion of labour relations in Chapter 13. All forms have been

updated, many of which were necessitated by the pandemic.

As was stated in the preface to the first edition, each topic addressed in this text is a

course in and of itself. I have attempted to highlight the key aspects or features specific to

Ontario employment law and labour relations relating to the scope of practice of licensed

paralegals in Ontario. However, it is not the end of the story.

I once again invite my colleagues at other Law Society of Ontario accredited paralegal

programs to offer feedback on this second edition.

I encourage readers to keep the powerful words of Supreme Court of Canada Chief

Justice Dickson (as he then was) in mind as they embark on their careers as legal service

providers in Ontario:

Work is one of the most fundamental aspects in a person’s life, providing the

individual with a means of nancial support and, as importantly, a contributory role

in society. A person’s employment is an essential component of his or her sense

of identity, self-worth and emotional well-being. Accordingly, the conditions in

which a person works are highly signicant in shaping the whole compendium of

psychological, emotional and physical elements of a person’s dignity and self-respect.1

1 Reference Re Public Service Employee Relations Act (Alta), [1987] 1 SCR 313, 1987 CanLII 88 at para 91.

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