When the pandemic hit, the Ontario government temporarily changed employment laws to create the Infectious Disease Emergency Leave (IDEL). Announced in March 2020, IDEL was meant to provide job-protected leave to employees who needed to take time off work for reasons related to COVID-19. As of June 7, IDEL has been extended to September […]

Asked to show cause why proceedings for their removal should not be set in motion, the members of the Police Service Commission (PSC) have defended their decision to join a lawsuit mounted by opposition parliamentarian Ganesh Mahipaul over the budgets of constitutional bodies, saying that they were left with no choice as they were denied […]

Restrictions meant to stop the spread of COVID-19 have created turmoil for employers and employees alike. More than a year after the beginning of the pandemic, my law firm, Samfiru Tumarkin LLP, continues to receive calls from workers across all industries and income levels. Even if they haven’t been let go permanently, employees are […]

A successful case for long-term disability benefits requires strong medical evidence of a disability. But medical evidence is not always the critical factor in determining the final result of a case.  A recent matter involving a client of the disability law practice at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP illustrates how an insurance company tried to avoid […]

NOTE: This story contains offensive language. Please read at your own discretion. A defence lawyer for the so-called “QAnon Shaman” has refused to apologize for describing the U.S. Capitol rioters as “people with brain damage,” in an expletive-filled tirade that blamed former president Donald Trump for leading them astray. Attorney Albert Watkins blasted his […]

A New Brunswick mother whose son with disabilities went missing from his school says she is planning to file a formal complaint against the school and the district. Jacqueline Petricca of Bouctouche, N.B. says she is still shaken up over what happened to her son at Blanche-Bourgeois School last month. “It was the most […]