On November 22, 2017, the Ontario government passed Bill 148 – Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017. This legislation will significantly change the workplace laws in Ontario. Some of the changes are immediate, and some are phased in over time.
As Bill 148 could significantly impact a large number of our small business clients we’ve put together a short chart to help explain some of the more serious changes that are now going to be law. Should you be unsure of how any of these might impact your business, or if you have further questions or concerns, we encourage you to contact our office to ensure that your organization is ready to comply with all of Bill 148’s changes.
| Area of Change | Previously | Bill-148 |
| Minimum Wage | $11.40/hour | $14/hour (Jan. 1, 2018) $15/hour (Jan. 1, 2019) |
| Independent Contractor (IC) Status | It will now be a violation to misclassify an Employee as an IC | |
| Part-Time, Casual, Temp, or Seasonal Employees | Must have the same pay rate as comparable full-time positions. There are some exceptions. | |
| Personal Emergency Leave | 10 days if company had over 50 employees | 10 days (2 paid) for all employers, no note(s) required |
| Family Medical Leave | 8 weeks | 27 weeks |
| Parental Leave | up to 37 weeks | up to 63 weeks |
| Pregnancy Leave for miscarriage or stillbirth | 6 weeks | 12 weeks |
| Public Holiday Pay | Formula-based – no “time off in lieu” allowed | |
| 3-Hour Rule | 3 hours at min. wage if employees regular shift was reduced to under 3 hours | minimum 3 hours regular pay for shifts < 3 hours or shift cancellation |
| Scheduling | right to request changes in work hours or location(s) | |
| Record Keeping Requirements | Businesses must now keep scheduling, leaves, on-call shifts, vacation time, pay records | |
| Domestic Violence Leave | up to 10 days, up to 15 weeks | |
| Crime-Related Child Disappearance Leave | 52 weeks | 104 weeks |
| Child Death Leave | 104 weeks |