Further to our earlier post, the new Ontario government announced today that it has delayed the coming into force of the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017, which officially came into force on July 1, 2018. The delay is intended to permit the government to assess the regulation of vaping in the province. The existing legislation,
Following the Senate’s historic vote in favour of Bill C-45, the Cannabis Act, the Federal Government announced yesterday that recreational marijuana will become legal on October 17, 2018. In anticipation of Bill C-45 becoming law, the provinces have begun preparing a framework for regulating the production, distribution, sale, possession and consumption of cannabis. Ontario’s response is Bill 174. With legalization fast approaching, we outline below key aspects of Bill 174 and steps to help employers prepare for the new reality.
Continue Reading Cannabis Becomes Legal on October 17, 2018 – Is Your Workplace Ready?
With the newly elected PC majority government, change is the one certainty that Ontario employers can expect. The specifics of what the change will look like have not been spelled out since the PC five-point platform did not touch on areas that directly impact employers. We can nonetheless anticipate that this government will consider initiatives to improve the competitiveness of Ontario businesses, such as the following:
Continue Reading The Big Blue Machine Returns: What’s Next for Employers
The Ontario Government is abandoning its current method for calculating public holiday pay which came into effect under the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017 (“Bill 148”). Employers will need to revert back to the previous calculation method, although this reversal is only temporary. Ontario plans to introduce yet another calculation method following a review of the public holiday system, which is proposed to occur later this year.
Continue Reading Ontario Reverts Back to Previous Public Holiday Pay Calculation (For Now)
The Ontario government has passed Bill 3, Pay Transparency Act, 2018. The Act imposes requirements on employers to promote equality of compensation between men and women, and to increase the transparency of information regarding compensation and workforce composition. The Act is set to come into force on January 1, 2019.
Continue Reading Pay Transparency Obligations Coming But Not Until January 1, 2019
We’re pleased to share our highlights video from our February 28th seminar in which we reviewed key changes under Ontario’s Bill 148 and provided practical guidance to assist employers in meeting the new legislative requirements. To view the video, click here.
Canada’s national newspaper, The Globe and Mail, recently hosted its Solving Workplace Challenges 2018 conference and followed up with a full page article featuring insights from Chris Burkett’s panel discussion on pressing topics in employment law. See the excerpt below or access the complete article here.
Continue Reading Cannabis@Work – The Globe and Mail features Baker McKenzie Partner, Chris Burkett
On April 1, 2018, employers in Ontario will be subject to the new equal pay provisions under the Employment Standards Act (“ESA”) brought in by Bill 148. As a general rule, employers can no longer establish distinct pay rates based on a “difference in employment status”, defined as follows:
Continue Reading Compliance Check: Do Your Pay Rates Comply with Bill 148?
This is the final article in our three-part series on recent changes to Alberta’s labour and employment legislation. Here we outline changes to Alberta’s occupational health and safety (“OHS”) and workers’ compensation legislation resulting from Bill 30: An Act to Protect the Health and Well-being of Working Albertans.
Continue Reading Alberta Strengthens Workplace Safety Legislation
The government of Ontario announced today that it will introduce new legislation to require certain employers to track and publish their compensation information. The proposed legislation is part of the province’s initiative to advance women’s economic status and create more equitable workplaces (the initiative is titled “Then Now Next: Ontario’s Strategy for Women’s Economic Empowerment”). Today’s announcement comes on the heels of last week’s budget plan in which the federal government outlined proposed proactive pay equity legislation that would apply to federally regulated employers – see here for our article on the proposed federal legislation.
Continue Reading Ontario Introducing New Pay Transparency Legislation
