With the newly elected PC majority government, change is the one certainty that Ontario employers can expect. The specifics of what the change will look like have not been spelled out since the PC five-point platform did not touch on areas that directly impact employers. We can nonetheless anticipate that this government will consider initiatives to improve the competitiveness of Ontario businesses, such as the following:
The Alberta legislature has passed comprehensive amendments to the province’s labour and employment legislation. These changes were enacted through:
- Bill 17: the Fair and Family-friendly Workplaces Act; and
- Bill 30: An Act to Protect the Health and Well-being of Working Albertans.
This is the first of three articles summarizing the key amendments. This article outlines changes to employment standards under the Employment Standards Code (“ESC”).
On October 1, 2017 the minimum wage increased in Alberta, Manitoba, Newfoundland & Labrador, Ontario, and Saskatchewan. These changes are the most recent in a string of wage hikes across Canada as jurisdictions such as Alberta and Ontario move towards a $15 per hour minimum wage rate over the next two years.
The Ontario government has announced that it will introduce legislation, The Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017, in the coming days to reform the province’s employment standards legislation. The announcement follows last week’s release of the Changing Workplaces Review Final Report which contained a myriad of recommendations for reforms to benefit employees.[1]
The key changes to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (“ESA”) that the government has indicated will be included in the proposed legislation are summarized below.
Minimum wages continue to rise across Canada. Recent increases have been implemented in British Columbia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan. As well, Alberta’s NDP government has continued to pursue its goal of a $15 per hour minimum wage by 2018 by implementing incremental increases. Several other provinces will see a further increase in their minimum wage in April.
Despite the economic controversy, Alberta’s NDP government appears to be following through on its promise to increase the province’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2018. On October 1, 2015, the minimum wage in Alberta will increase from $10.20 to $11.20, with planned further increases in the years to come. Following this initial increase, Alberta will have one of the highest minimum wages in Canada.
Ontario’s general minimum wage will increase from $11.00 to $11.25 on October 1, 2015. This increase will make the province the second-highest rate in the country (after the Northwest Territories, which will see a jump from $10.00 to $12.50 on June 1, 2015).
In a previous post, we discussed potential changes proposed under the Bill 18, known as the Stronger Workplaces for a Stronger Economy Act. This Bill was passed on November 20, 2014. We have summarized the key changes to Ontario legislation and their effective dates below for easy reference.
On June 1, 2014, Ontario’s general minimum wage increased from $10.25 to $11.00 per hour. This is the first increase since 2010. Ontario now matches Nunavut in having the highest minimum wage in Canada.
On July 16, 2014, the Ontario Government introduced Bill 18, Stronger Workplaces for a Stronger Economy Act, 2014. The Bill proposes changes that would (among other things) remove existing limits on unpaid wage claims, make temporary help agencies and their clients jointly liable for unpaid wages, and impose automatic adjustments to minimum wage based on the Consumer Price Index.