ARTICLE · 06 SEPTEMBER 2017

Significant Changes Coming To Ontario's Labour And Employment Laws

Devry Smith Frank LLP

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Ontario is one step closer to approving the minimum wage increase of $15 an hour, however that is not the only change that is on Ontario's horizon.

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Devry Smith Frank LLP

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Ontario is one step closer to approving the minimum wage increase of $15 an hour, however that is not the only change that is on Ontario's horizon. A legislative committee studying the bill has concluded its work, advancing the bill to the fall session of the legislature, which begins September 11.

Bill 148, known as the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, includes much more than a dramatic increase in the minimum wage. The bill makes large amendments to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 ("ESA"), Ontario's minimum standards legislation, and the Labour Relations Act ("LRA"), which governs unionization. Many of these changes are favourable to employees, in an effort to alleviate the impacts of precarious work.

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