Workers in Ontario are facing high rates of inflation, precarious and dangerous work, and job instability due to the impact of international tariffs, all while being asked to accept paycheques that can’t keep up with the bills.
The situation is dire for workers who experience employer wage theft. And for those who have been injured on the job, the safety nets put into place to support them have been slowly and permanently eroded.
Recently, workers’ rights advocates have released new reports highlighting major and ongoing problems with wage theft, labour law enforcement, and the discriminatory policies guiding the Workplace Safety Insurance Board (WSIB).
The Crisis of Wage Theft in Ontario
Workers Action Centre, in partnership with Parkdale Community Legal Services (PCLS) recently launched a Stop Wage Theft campaign, which included the release of an extensive report titled “The crisis of wage theft in Ontario”. The report outlines the interrelated problems of employer wage theft, lack of ESA enforcement, and backlash for non-unionized workers who stand up for their rights.
Here’s a snippet from the introduction of the report:
“Wage theft is the number one issue workers bring to the Workers’ Action Centre. For people in low-wage and precarious work, being offered subminimum wages, not getting all their wages, or paid late, are common occurrences. While the problems giving rise to wage theft are not new, the crisis has become dire due to a combination of factors, including chronic under-enforcement of our labour laws, our current cost of living crisis, and the weakening of Canada’s social safety net.
In the last 10 years, almost $200 million dollars has been assessed as owing to workers in Ontario through the Employment Standards Act (ESA) complaint process. Since workers face substantial barriers to filing complaints with the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MoL), this amount represents only a small fraction of the total wages stolen from workers.
For the workers who experience it first hand, wage theft can mean not being able to pay rent, buy groceries or medication. Understandably, it results in feelings of anger, frustration, profound disrespect and powerlessness – contributing in some cases to severe mental health issues.
Workers who do not get paid cannot spend money to support their local economies, or contribute to taxes that fund public services. Employers who do not commit wage theft are at a competitive disadvantage, since their costs are higher. This incentivizes wage theft and drives wages down across the labour market, which hurts our economy overall.”
Read the full “Crisis of Wage Theft” report here, along with the recommendations on how to fix the problem of employer wage theft and lax labour law enforcement.
Rights Don’t Retire: Working Together to End Age Discrimination at the WSIB
The Injured Workers Community Legal Clinic and the Ontario Network of Injured Workers Groups (ONIWG) have just launched a Rights Don’t Retire campaign, which includes the recent release of the Rights Don’t Retire report. The report focuses on the impact of income cut-offs experienced by injured workers in their 60s who rely on the WSIB for support, and clear solutions to this critical workers’ rights issue.
From the introduction of the report:
“In Ontario today, people are working longer than ever before. Many older adults stay in the workforce well past age 65, because they need the income, or they enjoy their work. The law no longer requires anyone to retire at the age of 65.
But the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) still acts as if it does. Under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act (WSIA), injured workers stop receiving their Loss of Earnings (LOE) benefits at age 65, even if they would have continued working. If someone gets injured at age 63 or older, they only get LOE benefits for two years. This means that workers injured later in life lose crucial income support simply because of their age. This age-based cut-off doesn’t reflect today’s reality. It treats all older workers the same, regardless of their circumstances, and it has the greatest impact on workers who can least afford to lose income, including workers in physically demanding and precarious jobs, and those who don’t have a safety net to fall back on.
In this report, we explain the WSIB’s age limit on benefits, why it’s outdated and unfair, and what the numbers tell us about older Ontarians’ participation in the workforce. We also outline why this law is discriminatory, as it denies support to injured workers solely based on
an increasingly arbitrary age rule. Potential solutions to age-based limits will be outlined in the report. It’s time for Ontario’s workers’ compensation system to catch up with the modern reality of work and aging, and to make sure that no worker loses compensation for a workplace injury just because of their age.”
Read the full “Rights Don’t Retire” report here, which includes recommendations on how to change and improve the laws for injured workers who face the age cut-off.
Workers are Mobilizing to Protect Their Rights: Join Two Upcoming Events
The two reports noted above have been released in conjunction with broader campaigns around these issues. Join the two upcoming rallies at the Ministry of Labour and fight for the rights of low-income, precarious, disabled, and injured workers.
Rally to Stop Wage Theft
1:00 p.m., Saturday, November 29, 2025
Ministry of Labour, 400 University Ave
RSVP here (RSVP is optional – just show up!)
Join workers fighting for unpaid wages. Members of the Workers’ Action Centre who are owed over $400,000 in unpaid wages will be calling on the government to do their job! Protect workers from employers who steal their wages. Over 60% of workers face wage theft. Just in the last ten years, the Ministry of Labour assessed employers owed $200 million to workers. We know that this is just a small fraction of wages owed as many don’t know how to file a complaint or just have to try to get another job so bills can get paid.
If you can’t make it to the rally, you can still voice your concerns by sending an email using the Workers Action Centre letter-writing tool on their website here. That link also includes an Organizer’s Guide to Wage Theft, leaflets, and petition sheets which you can download and get signed by your coworkers, friends, and family.
34th Injured Workers Rally (Toronto & Thunder Bay!)
11:00 a.m., Monday, December 8, 2025
Toronto Rally: Ministry of Labour, 400 University Ave.
Thunder Bay Rally: MPP Lise Vaugeois’ Office, 272 Park St.
Facebook event page here
Injured worker’s rights are under attack. Austerity measures, cuts to benefits, and rebates for billionaire businesses have forced injured workers deeper into poverty. This year alone, the same employers who were responsible for unsafe workplace conditions received an additional $2 billion in surplus, on top of last year’s $2.5 billion. This is absolutely unacceptable as so many injured workers have not received adequate or fair compensation. To make matters worse, injured workers’ benefits are cut off when they turn 65 even if they have a permanent injury. The event will feature speeches from different organizations and labour unions in solidarity with injured workers.
If you can’t make it to the rally, you can still call on your MPP and let them know it’s time to end wage discrimination at the WSIB. For talking points and more resources, visit the Injured Workers Online Rights Don’t Retire campaign website here.
