FTR Now
Legislation Reversing Parts of Bill 148 Passes
Date: November 21, 2018
On November 21, 2018, Bill 47, the Making Ontario Open for Business Act, 2018, as amended by the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs, received Royal Assent.
Bill 47 passed in substantially the same form as tabled at First Reading, subject to a few Committee amendments made to the Labour Relations Act, 1995 (LRA) found in Schedule 2.
One notable amendment pertains to the authority provided to the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) to review bargaining unit structures. As tabled at First Reading, Bill 47 had repealed section 15.1 of the LRA (which permitted the OLRB to review and potentially consolidate bargaining unit structures in certain situations) and substituted it with a provision giving the OLRB a more general review power where the structure of bargaining units is no longer considered appropriate. That general review provision has been deleted by Committee and section 15.1 is now repealed in its entirety.
Other Committee amendments relate to notice requirements and the regulation-making power for transitional provisions.
The coming into force dates of Bill 47 are as follows:
Employment Standards Act, 2000: generally in force on the later of January 1, 2019 and upon Royal Assent.
Labour Relations Act, 1995: in force upon Royal Assent.
Ontario College of Trades and Apprenticeship Act, 2009: in force upon Royal Assent, subject to exceptions.
Please see our FTR Now of October 24, 2018, End of the Bill 148 Era: Ontario Bill to Reverse Employment and Labour Reforms, for more detailed information about Bill 47.
Should you have any questions about Bill 47 and its impact on your workplace, please contact your regular Hicks Morley lawyer.
Editor’s Note: This communication has been updated from its original publication to reflect the fact Bill 47 received Royal Assent on November 21, 2018.
The article in this client update provides general information and should not be relied on as legal advice or opinion. This publication is copyrighted by Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie LLP and may not be photocopied or reproduced in any form, in whole or in part, without the express permission of Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie LLP. ©
