On April 2nd, 2019 the Ontario government passed Bill 66, the Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act. This Bill is a sweeping piece of legislation that will negatively impact on environmental, consumer, labour and public service regulations for Ontarians. For workers the proposed changes to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (“ESA”) and the Labour Relations Act, 1995 …
Employment Standards
MARCH 21: #UNITEAGAINSTRACISM | CROSS-CANADA DAY OF ACTION / Journée d’Action Transcanadienne: Unissons-Nous Contre Le Racisme!
Here’s an important call to action from our partners at the Migrant Rights Network. Migrants and refugees are being forced out from their homes in unprecedented numbers globally. Here in Canada, anti-immigrant protests and racially motivated attacks are on the rise. Meanwhile, right wing politicians who use anti-immigrant and racist rhetoric are getting rewarded with …
Ontario Court of Appeal ruling is a victory for Uber workers
In a ground breaking case, the Ontario Court of Appeal has decided that a clause in Uber’s contract with its drivers – which requires them to take legal disputes with the company to the Netherlands to be resolved – is “illegal” and “unconscionable”. This case offers workers some important protections where there may be unfair …
Ontario 2019 Pre-Budget Consultations: Have your say!
The provincial government has asked for input into the upcoming 2019 provincial Budget. There are currently two pre-budget consultation processes that you can plug into: The Ontario Legislature’s Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs is conducting hearings across the province and accepting written submissions until 5:00pm on January 29. The Minister of Finance is hosting …
A year of Bill 148: Not what the big business lobby predicted
A full year of big changes to labour law in Ontario has just passed. Newly released jobs numbers let us measure the impact of these changes, and gauge whether the nightmarish predictions of job losses and economic upheaval have come true. Last January, Bill 148 ushered in a sweeping set of labour law reforms in …
Bill 47 is a Step Back for Ontario’s Workers
On October 23, Ontario’s government tabled Bill 47, the Making Ontario Open for Business Act. The legislation, which will repeal portions of Bill 148 (the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act), is a major setback for workers’ rights in Ontario. Bill 148, passed in November 2017, was the result of years of campaigning and advocacy for …
Gender Equality Week: What’s the state of women’s economic equality in the workplace?
September 23rd marked the beginning of the very first Gender Equality Week in Canada, aimed at celebrating the progress Canada has made in advancing gender equality while also reflecting on the work that remains to be done. Bill C-309, which became law earlier this year, designates the fourth week of September each year as Gender …
Ontario jobs numbers contradict fears about raising the minimum wage
This Labour Day weekend marks eight months since Bill 148, the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, came into effect. Bill 148 increased the minimum wage from $11.60 to $14.00 an hour, gave all workers access to ten job-protected personal emergency leave days (the first two of which are paid), legislated equal pay for equal work …
URGENT ACTION ALERT: Federal review of labour standards
The federal government is doing a review of the labour standards that affect workers in federally-regulated sectors, like banking, telecommunications and inter-provincial and international transportation. We’ve just learned that they’re conducting a consultation with Canadians about how federal labour standards should be updated. The consultation ends this Wednesday, January 31. The Government wants to know …
Ontario Budget 2018: Take Action on Income Security / Passons à l’action pour la sécurité du revenu
– la version française suit dessous – It’s pre-Budget time in Ontario. As we noted recently, now’s the time to tell the Government and the Opposition parties that they must take bold steps on income security in Ontario. These steps must include major investments in transforming social assistance, starting with raising the rates, and employment standards enforcement. …
