Do parents have an alternative choice for childcare in the fall?

As a return to school in the fall looms ahead for many parents, questions of returning to work do also. While the government of Ontario has stated full-time school will be an option for students, many parents are worried for their children’s health and safety. These concerns could likely lead to a refusal to return to school and work.

Toronto employment lawyer Jon Pinkus discusses the options and rights parents will have to remain home with their children on the John Oakley Show with Arlene Bynon.

What They Discussed

• Do parents have an option to stay home with their children if an employer is requesting them back at work in the fall? This will be a question of preference vs. obligation and employees are obliged to return to work in September.
• Is there any wiggle room for employees to remain on Infectious Disease Emergency Leave? The provision allowing parents to stay home with their children was largely due to school closures.
• Are employers concerned parents will not want to return to work? Employers are more concerned with employees able to return to work and are choosing to remain on CERB.
• Has CERB made hiring for employers difficult? In some industries, employees appear to have been incentivized to remain at home.
• Has there been anything quite like the pandemic that changed the employment sphere like COVID-19 in recent years? There has been a very high volume of terminations and a lot of disputes over temporary layoffs.
• What will parents likely choose to do in the fall? Parents have become more accustomed to working remotely as well as employers, so that could bring about a changing work environment if it is an option.
• Will teachers likely face the same disputes as other employees if they are unwilling to return to work in the fall? If your employer has dealt with health and safety concerns as required, teachers will have to return.