What is a "volunteer"?: Papa Murphy’s v Manmeet Kaur, 2025 ABESAB 16 canlii.ca/t/kg7tv For-profit pizza company claims worker was an unpaid volunteer. As if. Board finds "employment" relationship. For me, if (1) worker does real work & (2) the business is for-profit, worker is not a "volunteer".

Could Tesla and its shareholders be any more out of touch with what’s happening in the world? Inequality and grotesque wealth is destroying America, but sure, make this dickhead even richer. www.thestar.com/business/tes...

Walter Mittens assessing our Jeanette Perreault cafe painting.

Federal government plans to follow Ontario’s lead, prohibit non-competition clauses in employment contracts. The rest of country should similarly ban non-competes. As I explain in this article, most non-compete clauses are illegal anyways and they are bad policy: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

U.S. manufacturing continues to falter under Trump’s tariff regime.

Submitted second grant application today, two grants for two entirely different projects. A LOT of work. But I can finally get to the pile of other work waiting for me, including a new book on collective bargaining and law. First tho, a new cliff scape painting. Layers 1-4 of probably 20!

I hate baseball.

Me last night, circa 11 pm “Just don’t get doubled up, Springer is up next” “Don’t get doubled up, Springer is up next” “Just be careful” “DONT GET DOUBLED UP” “STAY NEAR THE GOD DAMN BASE” GOD DAMMIT. Throws remote at wall.

Canada Post rotating strikes could broaden as holiday season nears, labour analysts say

#BlueJays have finally started to win over the US sports media dudes. www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/tor...

New Post for lovers of sports & labour law! How exactly will new #WNBA Toronto Tempo (@tempobasketball.bsky.social) players come to be covered by the collective agreement? It's complicated. "The Unionization of the New Toronto Tempo Players: A Labour Law Mystery" lawofwork.ca/the-unioniza...

Speaking of the Canadian Bar Association: I’m at a complete loss as to how this organization OF LAWYERS has not taken a firm position against the continued exclusion OF LAWYERS from collective bargaining legislation in some provinces (including Ontario). The exclusion is a clear Charter violation

Alberta branch of the Canadian Bar Association slams the government’s casual use of the notwithstanding clause to block judicial oversight of its law that blocks the exercise of the Charter rights to collective bargaining and to strike. cba-alberta.org/news/cba-alb...

As I was saying. Gil now planning for a general strike in Alberta to fight the government’s use of notwithstanding clause. I’d expect the Canadian labor movement to push back hard at governmens that override fundamental Charter protected freedom of association. www.thestar.com/news/canada/...

Remember that a govt uses the ‘notwithstanding clause’ to override fundamental rights and freedoms only when it believes that courts would rule the law goes further than necessary in trampling freedoms given the government’s objectives. #Bill2 #canlab #alberta edmontonjournal.com/news/politic...

I’m working on a research project that explores: - What Canada would need to do to comply with the EU Social Acquis regarding Labour Law were it to apply to join the EU; and - How joining the EU would affect Canadian Labour Law in the short and long term. Fun little project (okay not little).

I’m somewhat surprised that the teachers intend to obey the law. Unions have done pretty well in Canada engaging in civil disobedience of laws that blatantly violate fundamental rights and freedoms. Modern conservatives sure do love the notwithstanding clause tho. www.thestar.com/news/canada/...

Jay’s would be running away with this series if not for the Japanese gazillionaires on the Dodgers. #WorldSeries

The NBAPA should negotiate an individual opt-out that allows @nba players to have their name removed from prop bets. It’s a health and safety issue. Celtics’ Brown wants more NBA protection over betting issues

Real question is why the Democratic Party isn’t running ads like this. www.thestar.com/politics/fed...

CIRB rules against CUPW in challenge against Liberals’ controversial use Canada Labor Code Section 107 to crush strikes and lockouts. I haven’t seen the decision, so I have no immediate thoughts on this, other than not surprising the CIRB would rule this way. www.ctvnews.ca/business/art...

This fricken league. Non stop drama. Live Updates: N.B.A. Player and Coach Arrested in Gambling Investigation www.nytimes.com/live/2025/10...

Had the funnest time at #DwayneGretzky tonight in Ontario’s coolest locale, #PrinceEdwardCounty. This band is life affirming among all the hate out there. Go see them if you get a chance.

Here’s the most important measure of Ontario’s self proclaimed « working for workers » Conservative government. They pretend that laws requiring employers to draft policies about this or that is progress. But real measure is enforcement of labour standards. www.thestar.com/news/gta/wor...

My 96 year old mom with the punk coloured hair meets Walter Mittens (who seems a little confused with what’s going on).

The corruption of the Doug Ford Conservative government is blatant and exhausting, But what pressure is on them to change their behaviour? Non-Toronto voters will keep electing them regardless. www.thestar.com/politics/pro...

Is Canada Post doomed, a victim of tech changes and competition that made daily mail delivery irrelevant? Or has the 174-year-old institution been strangled by government policies that limited its chance to compete? @isaacphannay.bsky.social reports. #canlab

Canada apparently has way too few workers and also way too many immigrants. www.thestar.com/business/car...

Almost as if Canada threatened to Annex the USA.

A Brief History of Men are Becoming Less Manly 🧵

Whenever America Was Great it had high taxes on the wealthy and high unionization rates so workers bargained a higher share of income. Trumpers are against taxes and unions. Big surprise the system screws working people. It will get worse.

VLADDDDDDIIIII!

Let’s Gooooooooooo! #BlueJays

Possibility of lockout in @wnba.com grows just as Toronto Tempo is about to join league. Guess who will be watching to see if the league complies with Ontario labour laws! Fever’s Cunningham: ‘I’m just tired of our league’

I’m taking my talents to McGill Law School in Montreal to talk on a panel cutely named The Empire Strikes Back. We’ll be talking about Canadian governments’ concerning recent activist approach to interfering in collective bargaining rights. November 10 if you are in town.

Private conservative club for the wealthy claims it can’t find any Canadian “servers”. This means: - the wages are crap and below comparable server jobs; - the servers are treated like crap by the “members”; - the club is lying. Which is it? www.thestar.com/politics/fed...

I’ve said B4, governments don’t legislate ends to work stoppages & order arbitration when employer doesn’t want that. In this case, Canada Post has resisted arbitration. But now that feds handed CP big changes it wants, CP could be less resistant to arbitration. www.thestar.com/business/don...

If a company doesn’t comply with labour standards after being given repeated opportunities: - prosecute and imprison the directors/owners; - ban them from being directors in a business in the future. We are way to soft on wage thieves in Canada. www.thestar.com/news/canada/...

Great, just what we need, our own little Project 2025. More private health care and public funding for religious and independent schools? Talk about out of touch. Don’t agree with Doug Ford on much, but he’s right to shut down this nonsense. www.thestar.com/politics/pro...

Article says that employers must provide “reasonable notice” before telling an employee to change work locations. I’m not aware of such a requirement, unless the idea is that you are terminating the contract and then offering a new one in a different location? www.thestar.com/business/opi...

Walter Mittens is pretty excited about the #BlueJays!

I just don’t understand why in rugby a team on the drive just kicks the ball to the other team and gives up possession. One of many mysteries for me in this sport.

Canada Post workers hit the picket lines in a surprise strike escalation just hours after the federal government announced massive cuts to the postal service. I break down what the government is planning and what some CUPW members think about the proposed changes for @pressprogress.ca

Overheard in the #rugbyworldcup: Cocaine the hooker just scored. 🤷

Took this photo of St Paul’s Cathedral from Tate Modern. #London

Put differently, all of the so called “Working for Workers” legislation the Conservatives have passed to try and present the party as being “for workers” are meaningless if the machinery to enforce the laws is starved of resources. Watch carefully where this funding freeze hits most.

No better way to weaken enforcement of protective labour statutes like employment standards, health and safety, and human rights than starving the administrative machinery assigned to enforcing those statutes. Strategy as old as time. www.thestar.com/politics/pro...

Non-union workers in Canada have no “right to free speech” at work. Exceptions: - speech protected by human rights legislation (religious, POLITICAL in some jurisdictions); - speech insisting on compliance with statute, supporting unions - govt employees engaged in Charter protected expression.

Find something to love as much as modern day Conservatives love the “notwithstanding” clause that permits governments to override fundamental human rights. www.thestar.com/politics/pro...