OHS Reprisal Hearing Needs to Be In-Person, Not Skyped

A worker files an OHS reprisal complaint but claims he can’t afford to travel to Toronto for the hearing. Can we do it via teleconference instead, he asks. The Board says no. It may be necessary to call witnesses and assess their credibility, which is tough to do on Skype, the Board reasons. Besides, it shouldn’t cost a lot for the worker to travel to Toronto, especially if he comes on the day of the hearing and doesn’t have to book a hotel the night before [Joseph Avery-North v Old Oak Properties Inc., 2018 CanLII 73085 (ON LRB), Aug. 1, 2018].