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Ontario Bill 148: Official repeal proposed

Last week, following a promise earlier in the month from Ontario Premier Doug Ford to scrap last year’s sweeping Bill 148 [1], lawmakers introduced Bill 47 — dubbed the “Making Ontario Open for Business Act 2018 [2]” in a step to make good on that promise.

The bill would make substantial changes to province’s employment legislation, including holding the minimum wage — set to increase to C$15 an hour in January from C$14 currently — though the wage would be subject to annual inflation adjustment beginning Oct. 1, 2020.

The bill also would repeal Bill 148’s equal pay provision, through which companies were required to pay nonemployee workers the same as their employee counterparts for equal work. Employers also would face reduced fines for labor law violations.

The Toronto Star summarizes the changes in store [3] should the bill pass.

Worker death raises red flag. Workplace safety is also affected [4] by the repeal, Toronto City News reports in an article about the death last week of a temporary worker at a loading dock in Toronto. Among the provisions of the bill would be a decrease in fines for companies’ labor law infractions. The government has already scaled back proactive workplace inspections, according to the report.

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