Our Healthcare group has provided services to Ontario healthcare providers since the formation of our firm in 1972. We now act for over 100 hospitals and other healthcare providers on all aspects of labour and employment law and pension and benefits issues. The­se other providers include long-term care facilities, nursing homes and community and mental health agencies.

• Prevention: We help healthcare sector clients proactively manage a full range of employment-related issues to reduce employee turnover, manage employee performance and foster positive labour relations. We provide strategic advice on issues such as disability and attendance management, human rights, occupational health and safety, workers’ compensation and privacy. We are also committed to ensuring that our healthcare clients understand the full impact that any new or proposed legislation may have on their organizations from a human resources perspective.
• Representation: We represent healthcare clients throughout the collective bargaining process and during grievance and arbitrations, both rights and interest. We regularly represent healthcare clients in employment-related tribunals – such as the Human Rights Tribunal, Pay Equity Hearings Tribunal, Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal and Ontario Labour Relations Board – and in the courts for wrongful dismissal actions. We also provide representation to professionals involved in proceedings governed by the Regulated Health Professions Act such as those before the College of Nurses.
• Solutions: We help hospitals and other healthcare providers find practical solutions to the legal issues that inevitably arise in this challenging sector. We help minimize the legal exposure in employee termination situations and provide ongoing advice on collective agreement interpretations to help minimize grievances and labour relations discord. We also provide strategic advice for the many clients dealing with restructuring or amalgamation issues.

The Hicks Morley advantage

The depth and breadth of our work in the healthcare field is both extensive and unparalleled, incorporating the best human resources practices from across the province and drawing upon the unmatched pool of knowledge and experience of our lawyers.

Our close involvement with over 100 individual hospitals and the full range of healthcare organizations in the province – combined with our decades-long relationship with the Ontario Hospital Association – gives us a unique insight into the needs of Ontario’s healthcare sector.

Notables

• Leadership:  We have helped numerous hospitals through the labour relations and human resources issues created by Bill 136 when amalgamation was first introduced – and have continued to provide strategic advice as further restructuring has occurred and financial challenges have mounted. We also work closely with the Ontario Hospital Association and individual hospitals and other community healthcare providers in resolving issues relating to the establishment of Local Health Integration Networks.
• Partnership:  We provide our clients with regular updates on human resources issues of interest to those in the healthcare sector and hold seminars and conferences on a number of general human resources topics that may impact them. We also partner with the Ontario Hospital Association in presenting at conferences and conducting issue-specific training sessions around the province.