Niagara: 02.19.20 What You Need to Know About Service Animals and Emotional Support Animals in the Workplace


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Date and Time:

Starts: 02/19/2020 5:30 PM

Ends: 02/19/2020 8:15 PM

Registration Closes:02/19/2020 5:00 PM

Event Type: Social or Networking Event

1 Hour Hour(s)

Location:
Johnny Rocco’s, St. Catharines 271 Merritt St St. Catharines, ON

Price:

HRPA Members:
$35 + Taxes
Non-Members:
$50 + Taxes
Students:
$25 + Taxes

Availability

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registrations for this event
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Additional Information

Registration: 5:30pm
Dinner: 6:00pm
Opening Remarks & Presentation: 7:00pm – 8:00pm
Closing Remarks: 8:00 – 8:15pm

Event Sponsor

Registration opens January 16, 2020 at 9:00am

Do you understand an employer's obligations in assessing whether an employee can bring a support animal to work? In this session, we'll examine how to accommodate requests without infringing on another employee's rights. Hear practical strategies for balancing accommodation needs while avoiding employee discrimination claims, and get valuable takeaways for updating your workplace policies.

Learning Objectives

  • Understand legislation related to service animals, including Ontario's Human Rights Code (the "Code"), and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (the "AODA")
  • Learn the definition of a Service Animal and Emotional Support Animal
  • Review jurisprudence regarding Service Animals and Emotional Support Animals in Ontario
  • Determine when and if an employer must accommodate employees using service animals/emotional support animals

Speaker bio(s)
Zaheer Lakhani, Lawyer

Zaheer Lakhani is a partner at Bandhu Lakhani Campea LLP, a boutique employment law firm. Zaheer advises and represents various sized employers in a range of areas including human rights, accommodation, wrongful dismissal and employment standards. He has appeared on CBC Radio and Radio Canada to discuss gender discrimination and toxic workplaces and has been quoted in Canadian Safety Reporter and was a presenter in HRPA’s Quarterly Employment Law Update

Melissa Mustafa

Melissa Mustafa is an associate at Bandhu Lakhani Campea LLP, a boutique law firm located in Oakville, Ontario that specializes in employment and labour law. Melissa’s practice includes wrongful dismissal litigation, human rights applications, advising on termination packages, drafting employment agreements, workplace investigations, labour disputes and collective bargaining.

Originally from Australia, Melissa relocated to Canada in 2014 after completing her law degree and articling at a full-service firm in Sydney. Melissa was called to the Ontario Bar in June 2017. Melissa is an active volunteer with Lawyers Feed the Hungry, Pro Bono Ontario’s Free Legal Advice Hotline and South Asian Women in Law.

Melissa has spoken about and delivered training on various employment law topics, most recently at the 2019 OMHA Spring Conference and the HRPA 2020 Annual Conference.