Doug Ford Is Changing Ontario Labour Laws And Here's How You Will Be Affected
Doug Fordisn't a stranger to controversy after taking over the role of Ontario's Premier in June. Now, people are once again upset at a new decision made by the Ontario Progressive Conservative party.
While in Queen's Park today the Premier told the Ontario Legislature that he wants to scrap Bill 148. That same bill, known as the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, brought in by the Liberal government was what introduced the increase of minimum wage to $14, but it also brought in new labour standards for many workers in the province.
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Ford's reasoning behind cutting the bill is to ensure that people know "Ontario is open for business", according to CityNews Toronto. The premier told the legislature Tuesday that they're cutting Bill 148 to "protect the front-line workers because 60,000 people lost their jobs" after the bill was passed in November 2017.
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In a surprise statement, Premier Doug Ford tells the legislative assembly that the PCs will be getting rid of Bill 148 (even thought the labour minister said they were reviewing the bill.)Here's some of the worker protections included in the law. #onpolipic.twitter.com/BtowfNXm2k
So what does scrapping Bill 148 mean for Ontarians? It means that some newly introduced labour laws that benefit workers are going to be stripped. The bill helped protect part-time and contract workers, as well as other benefits that are in place for all workers in the province.
The following labour laws will be affected by the removal of Bill 148:
- Fairer scheduling rules (including notices for scheduling changes, availability of schedule).
- The standard of a minimum of three weeks vacation for employees after working with the same employer for five years.
- Equal pay for equal work. This will affect part-time workers, temporary staff, or contract workers doing the same job as a full-time staff.
- Unpaid leave to take care of a critically ill family member.
- Up to 10 individual days of personal leave, plus 15 weeks of leave time if an employee or their child has experienced/threatened with domestic or sexual abuse without the risk of losing employment.
- Temporary help receiving one week notice or pay in lieu of no longer being needed for employment.
- Employees right to 10-days of personal emergency leave, including 2 paid days, no matter what size of the company.
- No longer requiring a medical note in order for employees take a sick day.
While the bill has yet to be scrapped, the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, Jim Wilson told reporters at Queen's Park that it is actively being reviewed. During his conversation, he confirmed that the $14 minimum wage was safe but other parts of the bill are definitely going to be cut.
"There are parts we will keep, and there are parts that probably will go, but we’re consulting on that," said Wilson.
Scrapping the bill would mean big changes for Ontario workers but only time will tell what parts of Bill 148 will be taken away.
Source: City News Toronto
