Ontario Creating Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs

Ministry of Labour

Province Raising Minimum Wage, Providing Equal Pay for Part-Time and Full-Time Workers, Paid Sick Days, and Expanded Paid Leave

Mississauga, ON – Dec 1, 2017

Ontario passed landmark legislation that will bring more fairness to Ontario workplaces and create more security and opportunity for vulnerable workers and their families.

Kevin Flynn, Minister of Labour and Dipika Damerla, Minister of Senior Affairs, were at the Mississauga Food Bank to explain the advantages of Fair Workplace Better Jobs Act.

The Act will raise the minimum wage, ensure more fairness for part-time and contract workers, expand personal emergency leave and step up enforcement of employment laws.

The Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017 will:

Raise Ontario’s general minimum wage to $14 per hour on January 1, 2018, and then to $15 on January 1, 2019, followed by annual increases at the rate of inflation
Mandate equal pay for part-time, temporary, casual and seasonal employees doing the same job as full-time employees; and equal pay for temporary help agency employees doing the same job as employees at the agencies’ client companies
Expand personal emergency leave to 10 days per calendar year for all employees, with at least two paid days per year for employees who have been employed for at least a week
Ban employers from requiring a doctor’s sick note from an employee taking personal emergency leave
Provide up to 17 weeks off without the fear of losing their job when a worker or their child has experienced or is threatened with domestic or sexual violence, including paid leave for the first five days
Bring Ontario’s vacation time in line with the national average by ensuring at least three weeks’ vacation after five years with the same employer
Make employee scheduling fairer, including requiring employees to be paid for three hours of work if their shift is cancelled within 48 hours of its scheduled start time

The government is also expanding family leaves and adding measures to ensure that employees are not misclassified as independent contractors, ensuring they get the benefits and protections they deserve.