Recent Developments in Labour Law in Nova Scotia

The past two years have been a fruitful time for those in Nova Scotia interested in labour law. During this period, the Supreme Court of Canada has handed down several decisions of relevance in this province, while the Nova Scotia Supreme Court itself has had cause to decide issues of considerable significance. Even more important, the number of written decisions published by the Nova Scotia Labour Relations Board has increased somewhat, with the result that some detail as to the day to day practice of the Board and its interpretation of the Act is now available. This comment will review as many of the new authorities as is possible in an attempt to provide an indication of the current legal status of labour relations in Nova Scotia. For the most part these cases involve the Trade Union Act. 2 However, it must be remembered that the common law does have an impact on labour relations and accordingly several such decisions are discussed.