On July 27, 2016, we circulated an FTR Now advising clients of the release of the Interim Report of the Special Advisors who are conducting the Changing Workplaces Review (Review). In this, our first follow-up FTR Now, we will focus on Personal Emergency Leave (PEL) under the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) as that entitlement is being singled out for earlier consideration in the Review…
Tag: Employment Standards Act
Changing Workplaces Review – Interim Report Issued
Since May 2015, two government-appointed Special Advisors – Mr. Justice John Murray and Mr. Michael Mitchell – have been undertaking the Changing Workplaces Review (Review) to consider the changing nature of the workplace, the causes behind those changes, and whether the Labour Relations Act, 1995 (LRA) and the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) need to be amended to meet challenges created by the changes…
ESA and AODA Changes Employers Should Note
Employers should be aware of recent changes related to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) – a new Hours of Work and Overtime Pay…
New ESA Rules for Tips and Gratuities Now in Effect
Effective June 10, 2016, reforms to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) enacted by Bill 12…
Summer ESA and OHSA Inspection Blitzes to Focus on New and Young Workers
Among other recently announced initiatives, the Ministry of Labour is conducting two province-wide enforcement and prevention inspection blitzes…
New ESA “Tips and Gratuities” Exemption for Prescribed Credit Card Charges
On May 6, 2016, the Ontario government prescribed a regulatory exemption for certain credit card payment processing fees in connection with pending reforms to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) enacted by Bill 12, Protecting Employees’ Tips Act, 2015. Ontario regulation 125/16 (Tips and Other Gratuities) provides that the definition of “tips and gratuities” in…
Countdown to ORPP: Ontario Tables New Implementation Legislation
Long-awaited Ontario Retirement Pension Plan (ORPP) legislation was introduced on Thursday, April 14, 2016, which, if passed in its present form, will provide the statutory framework and timeline for full ORPP implementation by January 1, 2020…
Ontario Safety Blitzes To Target Workplaces and Sectors with Vulnerable Workers
The Ontario Ministry of Labour has announced that it will do over 20 targeted blitzes at Ontario workplaces from May 2, 2016 to March 31, 2017. The Ministry will investigate potential violations of employment standards and occupational health and safety laws at targeted workplaces which include food services, retail stores, construction sites, mines and, in…
Ontario Minimum Wage to Increase October 1, 2016
On October 1, 2016, the general minimum wage in Ontario will increase from $11.25 to $11.40 an hour. This minimum wage applies to most employees. Minimum wage rates for specified students, liquor servers, hunting and fishing guides and homeworkers will increase on the same date.
“Tips and Gratuities” Reforms to the ESA Effective June 10, 2016
On December 10, 2015, Bill 12, An Act to Amend the Employment Standards Act, 2000 With Respect to Tips and Other Gratuities, received Royal Assent, and accordingly, its reforms to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (“ESA”) will come into force on June 10, 2016 (i.e. 6 months after the Royal Assent date). As previously reported, the Bill 12…