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ARTICLE · 11 DECEMBER 2015

Ontario Passes New Legislation Aimed To Protect Workers

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As announced today by the Ontario Ministry of Labour, the Ontario government has passed the Employment and Labour Statute Amendment Act, 2015.

CanadaEmployment and HR
Geoffrey Breen
Geoffrey Breen
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As announced today by the Ontario Ministry of Labour, the Ontario government has passed the Employment and Labour Statute Amendment Act, 2015 (the "ELSA"), which amends each of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act (the "WSIA"), the Fire Prevention and Protection Act and the Public Sector Labour Relations Act.

Among the changes introduced by the ELSA:

  • An increase in the maximum corporate penalty under the WSIA from $100,000 to $500,000; and
  • It is now an offence to attempt to prevent an employee from reporting a workplace injury or illness to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.

This is yet another in a recent wave of amendments to legislation aimed at providing greater protections to employees in Ontario.

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