Ontario proposes new law that would help people with their work-life balance
Ontario is proposing new legislation that would encourage employees to disconnect from the office and sustain a healthier work life balance.
Labour Minister Monte McNaughton introduced the Working for Workers Act on Monday, which would require employers with 25 employees or more to develop policies that give workers the right to disconnect.
“Ontario cannot be a province where people burnout from endless work and family time comes last. We need to give our workers a break,” McNaughton said.
McNaughton said examples of these policies could include setting expectations for email response times and encouraging employees to turn on out-of-office notifications when they aren’t working.
“When you're off the clock. You're off the clock,” McNaughton said. “Everyone should be able to unplug at the end of their work day because people are more than their jobs, they are mums and dads, volunteers for local charities, members of faith communities, and so much more.”
The proposed legislation would also prohibit employers from using “unfair” non-compete agreements, which McNaughton said often restrict employees from taking new jobs in the same field and subsequently result in suppressed wages.
The province says this change would help workers advance their careers and earn more money without penalty. Meanwhile, employers’ intellectual property would still be protected through narrow clauses.
Expert says new law could ‘cause havoc’
Employment lawyer Howard Levitt told CTV News Toronto the province’s proposed legislation “doesn't really solve the problem.” Instead, he suggested the government “might be virtue signalling.”
“It's another example of legislation that accomplishes nothing,” Levitt said.
He pointed to his own office as an example. “In my law firm, I've actually disciplined employees for disconnecting,” Levitt said. In a recent example, he said an employee disconnected from work for the weekend while a client was enduring a major crisis.
“It depends on the nature of the business,” he said. “It would be devastating to my clients in particular if we just disconnected.”
Levitt said already existing legislation, such as overtime laws in Ontario, ensure employees who work after hours are compensated.
“What benefit is this legislation? It's simply enunciating what the law already is.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.