Watch Out For "Free" Labour This Year

With high school and post-secondary students heading back to the classroom this September, many Ontario employers are on the lookout for co-op students or student interns. Co-ops and internships can be mutually beneficial arrangements for both employers and students, helping students gain meaningful work experience while allowing employers to effectively recruit future employees.

However, with controversy recently swirling around "unpaid internships," some employers may be uneasy about the notion of taking on a student. And employers have good reason to be cautious. In general, if a student performs work or supplies services for a person or company, that individual is typically considered an "employee" under the Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000 ("ESA"), and is thereby entitled to minimum wage pay for the work he or she performs, as well as to all other ESA protections.