On December 6, 2018, the government of Ontario unveiled Bill 66, Restoring Ontario's Competitiveness
Act, 2018. The bill is designed to reduce the regulatory and
financial burden of operating a business in a number of areas,
including employment and labour relations. This bill marks yet
another proposed adjustment to Ontario's labour and employment
laws, and introduces employer-friendly provisions to complement the
changes introduced by
Bill 47.
The new bill proposes more than 30 actions across 12 Ontario
ministries. Below are some of the labour and
employment–related changes the bill proposes.
Changes to Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA)
- Bill 66 would eliminate the ESA's
requirement that employers obtain approval from the director of
employment standards for an employee to work more than 48 hours per
week. Instead, employers and employees would be able to make their
own arrangements, pursuant to a written agreement.
