Overview
The passing of Bill 148 means employers with operations in Ontario will face new cost and compliance challenges, and must act quickly in amending their policies to reduce their risk of noncompliance. These legal changes will impact how businesses operate in areas that the Government of Ontario traditionally has not regulated in the past, including the compensation of part time workers and temporary agency workers, as well as limitations on the ability of the employer to change works schedules.
The new law contains important amendments to the Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000 and the Labour Relations Act, 1995, with some having come into effect over the last several weeks, and a number of others with effective dates through 2018 and 2019.
While much of the media attention has focussed on the proposed increases to the minimum wage, Bill 148 sets forward multiple changes that will impact all Ontario workplaces. Among the changes that have already come into law, Bill 148:
- Introduces a 50% increase in mandatory vacation time for employees with at least five years of service
- Imposes new statutory paid and unpaid leave obligations and limits an employer’s ability to require medical notes in relation to certain leaves
- Criminalizes the misclassification of employees as independent contractors, and creates a reverse onus in respect of same
- Establishes new union certification rules that make it easier for unions to succeed in organizing drives
In addition to which, between 2018 and 2019, the Bill will also:
- Require that casual, temporary, seasonal, part-time and agency employees be paid the same rate of pay as regular employees beginning as of April 1, 2018
- Impose new obligations regarding “on call” time and changing work schedules, starting January 1, 2019
We will also discuss a number of other “hot topics” in the webinar, among which are:
- The new anti-reprisal and whistleblower provisions
- An update on reported business responses and expectations in reaction to Bill 148; and
- An update on the Ministerial review of managerial and IT professional exemptions to the overtime rules
The webinar will be broadcasted on three separate occasions. There is no cost to participate. Please register for the date and time that suits your schedule.
Broadcast 1: Wednesday January 24 - 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. EST
Broadcast 2: Thursday February 1 - 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. EST
Broadcast 3: Thursday February 1 - 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. EST