** Français ci-dessous ** In Ontario, if your boss refuses to pay the minimum wage or violates your other employment rights, you can go to court or contact the Ministry of Labour. But can your boss make you sign an agreement to give up that right? On November 6, 2019, the Supreme Court of Canada will hear …
Employment Standards
New law allows migrant workers facing abuse to change jobs
On June 4, 2019, migrant workers in Canada working for an abusive employer finally got a process for changing jobs – a right that other workers can take for granted. In order to work in Canada, non-permanent residents or citizens must have a work permit. Most migrant workers are issued what are called “closed” work …
May 1: No Worker Left Behind! / Travailleuses et travailleurs uni.e.s!
Tomorrow is International Workers Day – here’s an important call to action from our partners at the Migrant Rights Network. * Go to a May 1st action near you, take a picture of yourself with this placard and share on social media using the hashtag: #UniteAgainstRacism. * If you can’t go to an action, post a photo any way and …
Bill 66 is a step backwards for Ontario’s workers
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 …
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 …
