Ontario Liberals propose four-day work-week pilot project if elected in 2022
The Ontario Liberals say they will launch a pilot project to “analyze the potential for a four-day work-week” if elected in June 2022.
Leader Steven Del Duca announced the proposal Sunday afternoon during a keynote address at his party’s Annual General Meeting, citing research being done in other countries such as New Zealand, Japan and Spain.
“I want us to understand if it has merit here,” Del Duca told the party in the public address. “We’re a party that believes in science, expertise and evidence-based decision-making and so I want us to gather the facts in an open and transparent way.”
“Let me be clear, improving the way we work does not mean that people don’t want to work hard.”
A four-day work week would allow employees to work the same number of hours over four days instead of five, resulting in a longer break period between shifts.
One company in Ontario has already implemented the practice after a testing period, saying it helped prevent burnout and had a minimal impact on productivity.
"The truth is that it was instantly impactful on our business," Jamie Savage, CEO and founder of Toronto-based recruitment company The Leadership Agency, told CTV News Toronto earlier this month.
Employees with The Leadership Agency still receive the same pay and number of vacation days per year.
Savage said that while the policy may not be possible for all industries, she noticed her employees were happier and more productive.
For Del Duca, he noted the pandemic has changed the way most people do their jobs, with many now working from home.
“People want the chance to work hard and work meaningfully, without their job having a brutally negative impact on families, mental health, the environment and quality of life,” he said. “We need people in Ontario, particularly the next generation of workers, to believe they can live happy lives and pursue rewarding careers right here.”
Del Duca added that his government will soon be releasing other election policies that will “reflect the new realities of our workforce.”
According to an Angus Reid poll released in June 2020, just over half of Canadians would support a four-day, 30-hour work week. The poll found that 53 per cent of respondents thought it was a “good idea.”
Trials run by Reykjavík City Council and the Iceland government found the idea an “overwhelming success,” with productivity either remaining the same or improving while “dramatically” improving the wellbeing of workers.
Ontarians head to the polls on June 2, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Slovakia's populist prime minister shot in assassination attempt, shocking Europe before elections
Slovakia's populist prime minister, Robert Fico, was shot multiple times and gravely wounded Wednesday after a political event in an attempted assassination that shocked the small country and reverberated across Europe.
Transport Canada's UFO 'lead' planned to meet with U.S. intel officials, called info requests a 'wild goose chase'
Canada's transportation department had a UFO 'lead' who tried to 'quell' media interest and planned to meet with U.S. intelligence officials.
'Very expensive lunch': Sask. driver handed a cell phone ticket for using points app in McDonald's drive-thru
A warning from a Saskatoon driver about using your fast-food app while in the drive-thru line — a trip to get some free lunch cost him a lot more than he bargained for.
'The Fly' has become notorious in France after a brazen escape. What's his criminal history?
A prisoner nicknamed “The Fly” has become notorious in France overnight after a daring and bloody escape from a prison convoy in Normandy that left two guards dead.
Ontario's 'Crypto King' Aiden Pleterski arrested
Aiden Pleterski, the self-proclaimed 'crypto king' from Whitby, Ont., has been arrested in Durham Region after allegedly running a Ponzi scheme worth more than $40 million.
Barge hits a bridge in Texas, damaging the structure and causing an oil spill
A barge slammed into a bridge pillar in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday, spilling oil into surrounding waters and closing the only road to a smaller and separate island that is home to a university, officials said. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Person responsible for 1996 drugging of 'Titanic' crew likely not a local: Halifax police
Halifax Regional Police believe a non-resident could be responsible for the infamous drugging of numerous crew members of the 'Titanic' movie with a hallucinogenic in 1996.
Latest updates on the biggest wildfires burning in Canada
Thousands of people in Western Canada remain displaced from their homes as wildfires threaten their communities, triggering evacuation orders and alerts.
OPINION If you think you can’t focus for long, you’re right: Sandee LaMotte
Regaining your focus requires you to be mindful of how you are using technology -- a daunting task if you consider the average American spends at least 10 hours a day on screens.