Parents’ rights as childcare centres reopen in Ontario

On Friday, June 12 licenced childcare centres in Ontario will be allowed to reopen while following strict guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic. Does this mean that parents who are currently off work to look after their young children are now required to return to work?

Lior Samfiru is a Toronto employment lawyer and founding partner of Samfiru Tumarkin LLP. He joined hosts Mike Stafford and Supriya Dwivedi on Global News Radio 640 Toronto to explain a parent’s workplace rights now that daycare options are available.

• Can I stay home with my child if my employer calls me back to work, now that Ontario is allowing childcare centres to reopen?
• Are there cases where an employer won’t be able to call a parent back to work, even with daycares reopening?
• If my usual childcare centre fails to reopen, can I continue to remain off work to look after my child?
• What are my options if I don’t want to put my child into daycare due to COVID-19, but my employer is calling me back to work?
• Can I still collect CERB payments if daycares and childcare centres reopen?
• The number of fraudulent CERB claims

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.