SEPTEMBER 2017
46
INHOUSE
O
ntario's labour laws are undergoing their biggest
changes since the 1990s. The overhaul is intended
to benefit workers by raising the minimum wage in
two stages to $15 an hour by 2019, ensuring equal pay
for part-time employees, increasing vacation entitle
-
ments and making it easier to unionize in certain sectors where em-
ployment is precarious.
Ontario Labour Minister Kevin Flynn has introduced Bill 148,
the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017. The legislation includes
many of the amendments to the province's Employment Standards
Act and Labour Relations Act that were proposed in the "Changing
Workplaces Review Final Report," released May 23. The government
has sent the bill to committee for consultations around the province.
Ontario's Bill 148 contains
controversial provisions
viewed as negative for
many employers.
BY SHELDON GORDON
