Between ridesharing, food delivery, courier services, and even
grocery shopping, the prevalence of digital platform work continues
to grow at an exponential pace. With an unprecedented amount of
flexibility, people have found it incredibly convenient to work for
digital platform-based companies like Uber, Instacart, or DoorDash
either as a primary or supplemental income source. Like anything,
however, with growth comes growing pains.
The legislature and courts alike have struggled with
categorizing these "gig workers" as either employees of
the companies or independent contractors, which is an important
distinction when it comes to the rights and responsibilities of the
company and the workers. As such, the Government of Ontario passed
the Digital Platform Workers' Rights Act
that comes into effect on July 1, 2025, and establishes a number of
protections for people who complete work for these digital platform
companies, or "operators" as they are referred to in
