Coronavirus: Returning to work without childcare

Lior Samfiru, a Toronto employment lawyer and partner at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP, joined Global News Morning to explain the concerns for working parents and their childcare as the pandemic continues, what rights do parents have moving forward with limited access to facilities and centres?

0:39 – Parents’ Rights to Stay Home With Childcare Centres Opening
Can your employer penalize you for staying home? As things are shifting will are there new obligations to returning to work? Will there be disqualifications of benefits?

1:33 – Proving Childcare Centre Restrictions and Limitations
Will you have to prove your child doesn’t have access to a facility due to decreased capacity? How does one go about proving your efforts to contact the centres?

 2:22 – Establishing Working From Home
Who determines whether or not employment can continue remotely? What legal obligations do employers and employees have?

3:17- CERB Payments Once Childcare Centres Are Open
Should employees still be collecting these payments now that facilities are opening? Are there any legal and financial ramifications if employees choose to continue CERB?

Learn more about your rights during the coronavirus pandemic through our Coronavirus (COVID-19) Knowledge Centre, where you can find resources about your employment rights during COVID-19.