On June 2, 2022, Ontarians will head to the polls to elect the
members of the 43rd Parliament of Ontario. With the
election taking place on a weekday, employers and employees alike
will be asking what obligations and rights they may have when it
comes to voting.
Any “elector” — that is, any Canadian citizen
who on the general polling day is 18 years of age and resides in an
electoral district in Ontario — is entitled to three
consecutive hours off from work to vote, as mandated by the
Ontario Election Act.
In the upcoming election, polls will be open from 9 a.m. until 9
p.m. EDT. This means that employees working 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. will
have the requisite three consecutive hours following the end of
their workday at 5 p.m. until polls close to vote. However, if an
employee does not have a consecutive three-hour window, the
employer must provide time off to allow for that period and cannot
withhold pay or penalize any employee by reason of their absence.
However, an
