No details on Ontario portable benefits package until after election: labour minister

The Uber app is seen on an iPhone near a driver's vehicle after the company launched service, in Vancouver, Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Gig workers in Ontario will have to wait until after this year's provincial election to find out what a portable benefits package could look like, as the Progressive Conservative government takes the next step towards creating a new program.

Ontario's Labour Minister Monte McNaughton says the government will appoint an advisory panel in March to research potential options for a portable health, dental and vision care plan -- but said the final recommendations will only be made in July, one month after the election.

McNaughton told CTV News Toronto the five-member panel would be tasked with meeting with workers, labour groups and employers and researching the limited examples of portable benefits before giving the provincial government a range of options.

"There are people serving tables in restaurants, or working cash registers in retail stores or working in the gig economy, and they have no benefits," McNaughton told CTV News Toronto. "I don't want workers choosing between putting food on the table or paying their medical bills."

The benefits plan, however, could leave employers with new costs and taxpayers on the hook for millions in new spending.

According to one study of a potential federal portable benefits plan, there would need to be "significant cooperation and buy-in" from provinces and territories, similar to a national child-care or pharmacare program.

"Contributions would be made from all relevant parties: the worker, the employer and government," the report stated.

When asked about the estimated cost of an Ontario benefits safety net, McNaughton said it is "too early to tell" and said he wanted the panel to conduct its work before discussing costs.

"It's going to take time, I'm going to get it right," McNaughton said, meaning voters wouldn't know the price tag of the plan before the next election.

Voters will head to the polls on June 2.