Employee rights, childcare obligations during Ottawa school closures

Interview Summary

School closures across the province have forced working parents to make new arrangements for childcare and balance their work obligations. What rights do working parents have while schools are closed? What are employers obligated to accommodate?

Alex Lucifero, an Ottawa employment lawyer and Managing Partner at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP joins Newstalk 580’s The Morning Rush with Bill Caroll to answer these questions and more on employee rights.

Interview Notes

Can working parents remain at home if they have no other childcare options?

Employees must exhaust all options for childcare and employers have a legal obligation to accommodate working parents who have children and are remote learning.

Is there a time limit regarding employees remaining at home due to childcare?

Employers are obligated to accommodate employees up until the point of undue hardship; all options must be considered in order to accommodate a employees’ childcare needs such as remote work or flexible hours. It is important for employees to properly communicate their concerns with their employers in order to reach a compromise.