Ontario’s Pay Equity Commission Publishes Interpretative Guide To Pay Equity Act

Ontario's Pay Equity Commission recently published an interpretative guide designed to help employers understand their obligations under the Pay Equity Act. Introduced in 1987, the Pay Equity Act's stated purpose is "...to redress systemic gender discrimination in compensation for work performed by employees in female job classes." It applies to all private sector employers in Ontario that have ten or more employees and all public sector employers.

In addition to setting out the requirements for achieving and maintaining pay equity, the Guide also highlights the pay equity office's pro-active monitoring program which it has undertaken in recent years to ensure that employers are complying with their statutory obligations.