Province Passes Legislation to Increase Minimum Wage
Ontario Strengthening Protections for Vulnerable Workers
Today, Bill 18, the Stronger Workplaces for a Stronger Economy Act, 2014, passed third reading with all party support in the Ontario legislature.
The new act supports Ontario’s Poverty Reduction Strategy, and is designed to further increase protections for vulnerable workers. The act will help workers by:
- Tying future minimum wage increases to the Consumer Price Index for Ontario which will be announced by April of each year, and come into effect on Oct.1
- Ensuring Occupational Health and Safety Act coverage for unpaid co-op students and other unpaid learners , which will give them protection under the OHSA such as the right to know about workplace hazards and the right to refuse unsafe work
- Eliminating the $10,000 cap on the recovery of unpaid wages through Ministry of Labour orders to pay and increasing the period of recovery to two years
- Expanding employment protections to cover all foreign employees who come to Ontario under an immigration or foreign temporary employee program
- Holding temporary help agencies and their employer clients accountable for certain employment standards violations, such as failure to pay regular wages, overtime pay, and public holiday entitlements.
Protecting vulnerable workers and making the minimum wage fair is part of the government’s economic plan for Ontario. The four-part plan is building Ontario up by investing in people’s talents and skills, building new public infrastructure like roads and transit, creating a dynamic, supportive environment where business thrives, and building a secure savings plan so everyone can afford to retire.
Quick Facts
- The act builds on the 2014 increase to minimum wage from $10.25 to $11 per hour.
- The original version of the bill was introduced nearly a full year ago, in December 2013.
- This new legislation acts on the recommendations of Ontario’s Minimum Wage Advisory Panel, which included business, labour, youth and anti-poverty representatives.
- The number of temporary foreign workers in Ontario has risen from 91,000 in 2008 to 133,000 in 2013.
- Ontario joins other provinces and territories that have set longer time limits for the recovery of wages, allowing workers more time to get the wages they are rightfully owed.
- The new legislation builds on work reflected in recent reports such as the United Way/McMaster University “It’s More Than Poverty” report prepared by the Poverty and Employment Precarity in Southern Ontario research group and the “Vulnerable Workers and Precarious Work” report by the Law Commission of Ontario.
