To help reduce the spread of communicable diseases, such as COVID-19, the Labour Relations Board (the Board) has developed a communicable disease prevention plan (CDPP). Part of the Board’s CDPP includes the implementation of the following policies that apply to Board staff and visitors to prevent the spread of communicable diseases:
These policies are subject to change in response to Public Health Orders and/or other applicable legislation or regulations.
We strongly recommend you contact the Board by email, webform, or phone with any inquiries as there may not be staff on-site who can meet with you. Board staff are encouraged to work from home where they feel ill or exhibit symptoms such as: coughing, sneezing, chills, or other common communicable disease symptoms.
Proceedings
A proceeding includes a hearing, mediation, settlement conference, informal/alternative dispute resolution process, and case management or any other meeting.
Proceedings may be held in the following ways:
- In-person
- Virtually
- A hybrid of virtual and in-person
The Board will continue to hold certificaiton and decertificaiton hearings virtually. All other proccedings will presumptively be held in-person or as a hybrid of virtual and in-person, but will continue to hold virtual hearings where the parties agree.
For more information about virtual proceedings, please see the following:
- Guidelines for Online Proceedings (133 KB)
- Online Proceedings Etiquette (152 KB)
- MS Teams for Online Proceedings (133 KB)
Votes conducted by the Board
Online electronic voting will continue to be the Board’s default way to conduct votes as an alternative to in-person votes. Online electronic votes are the best available means of eliminating the risk of transmitting disease while conducting the vote in a timely manner.
On its own motion, or at the written request of a party, the Board may hold an in-person vote where it can be done safely and in accordance with the In-Person vote policy and Illness policy for members of the public.
Where an online vote is not possible, and an in-person vote is not feasible as set out in the Policy or at the direction of the Board, a mail ballot may be considered.
The Board's policy on in-person voting applies only to votes directed by the Board or the Minister.
Statutory declarations
The Board continues to waive the requirement under the Rules that a party file a sworn statutory declaration in support of applications under the Labour Relations Code, including, but not limited to, applications under Section 99 and Section 141 of the Code
In lieu of a statutory declaration, parties may file an unsworn statement containing the same information and documents that would otherwise have been required in a sworn statutory declaration
The change is subject to the discretion of the Board or the panel assigned to require a sworn statutory declaration on a case by case basis.
If you have any questions or concerns about an active file, please contact us.