Ontario to increase fines for 'bad actor' employers
Ontario is set to clamp down on bad employers with big fines.
Labour Minister David Piccini says his government will introduce legislation next week that will see fines increased for violations of the Employment Standards Act.
Piccini says he is sending a message to "bad actor" employers there will be more severe consequences for exploiting workers.
They are looking to stamp out organizations that fail to pay wages, penalize employees for taking pregnancy or parental leave, and have unequal pay for equal work.
The maximum fine for individuals convicted of violating the act will increase to $100,000 from $50,000.
Ministry of Labour investigators will now have the ability to lay $5,000 fines for repeat offenders, up from $1,000, which can be multiplied based on the number of employees affected by contravention of the law.
"We're sending a clear message that as our economy grows and we attract all these incredible investments, we're going to protect workers," Piccini said.
"We know that through enforcement blitzes over the previous few years, we have found bad actors."
A recent ministry investigation found 10,000 Ontario workers are owed, cumulatively, $4.2 million, Piccini said.
"That sends a signal to us that we have to do more to protect our workers in Ontario," he said.
The new fines are part of a labour omnibus bill set to be tabled in the legislature on Monday.
It will give wildland firefighters the same cancer, heart and post-traumatic stress coverage as municipal firefighters. The province is creating a new high school apprenticeship pathway to graduate that the government is hoping will meet demand for skilled trades.
And the province will also do away with sick note requirements for short absences in an effort to decrease workload for overworked family doctors.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 3, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton hospitalized after prison attack
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a "major assault."
DEVELOPING Defence rests without Donald Trump taking the witness stand in his New York hush money trial
Donald Trump's lawyers rested their defence Tuesday without the former president taking the witness stand in his New York hush money trial.
Passenger killed, 30 injured as Singapore Airlines flight hits severe turbulence
One passenger was killed and 30 injured after a Singapore Airlines SIAL.SI flight from London hit severe turbulence en route on Tuesday, forcing it to make an emergency landing in Bangkok, officials and the airline said.
Feels like mid-30s in parts of Canada, while other areas expecting snow
Anything is possible this week, as far as Canada's weather is concerned, with forecasts ranging from scorching heat in some parts of the country to rain and snow in others.
Canada's inflation cools to 3-year low of 2.7%, in boost for rate cut bets
Canada's annual inflation rate slowed to a three-year low of 2.7 per cent in April, matching expectations, and core measures continued to ease, data showed on Tuesday, likely boosting chances of a June interest rate cut.
'Documents are fraudulent': Graceland is not for sale, Elvis Presley's granddaughter says in lawsuit
Riley Keough, the granddaughter of Elvis Presley, is fighting plans to publicly auction his Graceland estate in Memphis after a company tried to sell the property based on claims that a loan using the king of rock ’n’ roll's former home as collateral was not repaid.
Trump campaign calls 'The Apprentice' 'blatantly false,' director offers to screen it for him
Donald Trump's reelection campaign called 'The Apprentice,' a film about the former U.S. president in the 1980s, 'pure fiction' and vowed legal action following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. But director Ali Abbasi is offering to privately screen the film for Trump.
Nestle to sell $5 pizza, sandwiches in the U.S. for Wegovy, Ozempic users
Nestle NESN.S will market a new, US$5 line of frozen pizzas and protein-enriched pastas in the United States which it says it designed specifically for people taking drugs such as Wegovy or Ozempic for weight loss.
Flight PS752 victims' families say they're not sorry to hear of Iran president death
Members of a Canadian group representing families of those killed when Iranian officials shot down Flight PS752 in January 2020 say they are not sorry to hear of the death of Iran's president.