ARTICLE · 11 JULY 2023

Ontario, Canada: Licensing Framework For Temporary Help Agencies And Recruiters In Force July 1, 2023

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In December 2021, Ontario passed Bill 27, Working for Workers Act, 2021, which amended the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) to, among other things...

CanadaEmployment and HR

In December 2021, Ontario passed Bill 27, Working for Workers Act, 2021, which amended the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) to, among other things, establish a licensing regime for temporary help agencies (THAs) and recruiters. The amendments:

added licensing requirements for THAs and recruiters;
prohibited persons from operating an unlicensed THA or recruiter, and from engaging or using the services of an unlicensed THA or recruiter; and
expanded the list of acts for which reprisals are prohibited to include inquiries about whether a person holds a license to operate as a THA or to act as a recruiter.

These amendments to the ESA did not come into force immediately because the licensing framework first had to be prescribed by Regulation.

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