Ontario passes new rules that will change work-life balance for employees
The Ontario government has passed new laws it says will help employees disconnect from the office and create a better work-life balance.
On Tuesday, the government said it passed the "Working for Workers Act," which requires Ontario businesses with 25 people or more to have a written policy about employees' rights when it comes to disconnecting from their job at the end of the day.
These workplace policies could include, for example, expectations about response time for emails and encouraging employees to turn on out-of-office notifications when they aren’t working, the government says.
According to the act, between January 1 and March 1 of each year an employer must ensure it has a written policy in place for all employees with respect to disconnecting from work.
"We are determined to rebalance the scales and put workers in the driver's seat of Ontario’s economic growth while attracting the best workers to our great province," Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development, said in a statement Tuesday.
NON-COMPETE CLAUSES BANNED
The act also bans the use of non-compete clauses, which prevent people from exploring other work opportunities and higher salaries at other jobs.
According to the government, Ontario is the first jurisdiction in Canada, and one of the first in North America, to ban non-compete agreements in employment.
McNaughton says the new laws not only protects workers' rights, but also will help to attract top talent and investments to the province.
The act also removes "unfair" work experience requirements for foreign-trained immigrants trying to work in their professions.
It also introduces a mandatory licencing framework for temporary help agencies and recruiters to help prevent labour trafficking.
"This legislation is another step towards building back a better province and cementing Ontario's position as a global leader, for others to follow, as the best place in the world to live, work and raise a family," McNaughton said.
A government spokesperson told CTV News Toronto that while the act has not yet received royal assent, it is expected to later this week.
Timelines for when each law under the Working For Workers Act will come into effect have not been announced yet and the government said it there will be a initial grace period for businesses.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
DEVELOPING Live updates from the Trump hush money trial: Stormy Daniels, bookkeeper testify
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Boeing 737 catches fire and skids off the runway at a Senegal airport, injuring 10 people
A Boeing 737-300 plane carrying 85 people skidded off a runway at the airport in Dakar, Senegal's capital, injuring 10 people, according to the transport minister, an airline safety group and footage from a passenger that showed the aircraft on fire.
Breast cancer screening should start at age 40, Canadian Cancer Society says
The Canadian Cancer Society says all provinces and territories should lower the starting age for breast cancer screening to 40.
Man accused of killing two children at Quebec daycare to stand trial in April 2025
The man accused of murdering two children and injuring six others after a city bus crashed into a Montreal-area daycare is scheduled to stand trial over five weeks beginning in April 2025.