Features Legislation
Ontario’s latest workplace bill to be introduced today, contains numerous items of interest for employers

Ontario is set to overhaul its workplace legislation — again — with the introduction of the Working for Workers Four Act, 2023.

These proposed changes expand on what the province calls “historic” measures in introduced in previous workplace legislation in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

The current legislation, if passed, would make a number of critical changes for employers, including:

• Helping workers make informed decisions in their career search by requiring employers to disclose salary ranges in job postings and if artificial intelligence (AI) is used during the hiring process.
• Supporting injured workers by enabling “super indexing” increases to Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) benefits above the annual rate of inflation to increase pay for injured workers, along with improving cancer coverage for firefighters.
• Making Ontario the first province in Canada to ban the use of Canadian work experience as a requirement in job postings or application forms, so more qualified candidates progress in their job search.
• Strengthening wage protections for restaurant and hospitality workers by banning unpaid trial shifts, making clear employers can never deduct an employee’s wages in the event of a dine and dash, gas and dash, or any other stolen property and protecting their hard-earned tips.

The government will also be launching consultations to:

• Restrict the use of Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) in the settlement of cases of workplace sexual harassment, misconduct or violence.
• Create a new, job-protected leave for critical illnesses (like cancer) to match the length of the 26-week federal Employment Insurance sickness benefits.