Ontario considers new rule for thousands of workers that would provide them with benefits
Gig workers in Ontario could one day have access to a portable benefits program, giving them continuous health and dental coverage even as they jump from job to job with platform-based employers.
The idea is now being explored by Premier Doug Ford's government after it received a report from The Ontario Workforce Recovery Advisory Committee, which included a number of recommendations on how to improve the working conditions for employees who fall outside of the Ontario Employment Standards Act.
While some of the 21 recommendations -- such as limiting the use of non-compete clauses -- have already made their way into legislation, the committee says the province can take additional steps by creating a new class of employee to cover the estimated 18 per cent of Canadians who work for platform-based services such as Uber.
"Many frustrated app-based workers said they lack basic employment protections and deserve more transparency and accountability from the algorithms that manage their work," the report states.
The committee recommends creating a new "dependent contractor" designation which would give gig workers access to basic employment rights such as minimum wage, benefits and severance, according to a report from an advisory committee on the province's employment standards.
In an interview with CTV News Toronto, Labour Minister Monte McNaughton said the province is actively considering legislating both measures if app-based companies don’t implement similar measures on their own.
FILE - This Wednesday, June 21, 2017, file photo shows the building that houses the headquarters of Uber, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)
“My message to Uber, to Skip The Dishes, to these gig companies, if they're not going to look after their workers, then we'll take action to ensure that those workers are protected,” McNaughton said.
McNaughton said a portable benefits package wouldn’t only benefit gig workers, but would also help restaurant and retail employees and include health, dental and vision coverage that are largely reserved for full-time employees in the province.
“I'm really excited about the portable benefits, recommendation and that’s something we're going to look at over the coming weeks,” McNaughton said.
The minister wouldn’t say whether the province would have to foot the bill for the benefits, or whether employers and employees would be expected to enter into a co-pay arrangement.
While McNaughton admitted “there is no timeline” for when a portable benefits package, or dependent contractor designation could become a reality – he hinted that the government could be willing to table legislation as early as Febuary 2022 when politicians return to Queen’s Park for the first time after the winter break.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.