In a lead up to the upcoming provincial election, the Ontario
legislature is busy again introducing significant changes to
employment related legislation. On February 28, 2022, Ontario
introduced Bill 88, the Working for Workers Act, 2022.
Bill 88 follows shortly after last year's Bill 27 the
Working for Workers Act, 2021, which amended a number of
employment related statutes to introduce a prohibition on
non-competition agreements, and a new requirement on employers to
implement a Disconnecting from Work Policy.
If passed, Bill 88 will enact a new Digital Platform
Workers' Rights Act, 2022 (DPWRA) and make
amendments to the Employment Standards Act, 2000
(ESA) and the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA).
The changes will create new rights for ride share, delivery, and
courier workers using "digital platforms," impose a
requirement on employers to disclose electronic monitoring of
employees, and increase obligations and fines under OHSA.