Human Resources Legislative Update

Bill 148 Receives Royal Assent

Human Resources Legislative Update

Bill 148 Receives Royal Assent

Date: November 27, 2017

On November 27, 2017, Bill 148, the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017, received Royal Assent.

Many provisions of  Bill 148 come into force on January 1, 2018, including the amendments to the Labour Relations Act, 1995.

There are several exceptions to the general January 1, 2018 coming into force date for the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA). Certain provisions of the ESA come into force prior to January 1, 2018:

  • the employee classification requirements come into force immediately with Royal Assent (November 27, 2017)
  • the extended parental/pregnancy leaves come into force on December 3, 2017
  • the new Critical Illness Leave and consequential record-keeping amendments come into force on December 3, 2017.

Other provisions of the ESA will come into force on dates later than January 1, 2018.

Amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act come into force on Royal Assent (November 27, 2017).

For more information, see our recent FTR Nows (which are best read in conjunction with one another):

More Changes to Bill 148 after Second Committee Review (November 17, 2017)

Big Changes to Bill 148 after Committee Review (August 25, 2017)

Bill 148 and the ESA – Changes are on the Horizon for Ontario Employers (June 7, 2017)

Ontario Proposes Legislative Overhaul of Labour Relations Act, 1995 in Bill 148 – Are you Prepared? (June 5, 2017)

We strongly encourage you to work with your Hicks Morley lawyer to ensure that your organization is ready to comply with all of Bill 148’s changes.