After two years of public consultations, the Liberal government introduced many changes to the Employment Standards Act in November 2017 but delayed implementing several of these changes until 2019. The changes were contained in Bill 148.

During the election campaign, Premier Ford said he would stop the $ 1 an hour increase in the minimum wage that is currently scheduled to take place on January 1, 2019. But based on statements he made in the legislature yesterday, it looks like he may be rolling back other Bill 148 changes.

This is yet another example of a government changing the legal landscape at Ontario’s workplaces. Judges and administrative tribunals also impose new obligations on employers each year.

Every two weeks I blog about a recent employment law development but every year I pick three issues that I believe deserve special, in-depth attention.

Our Annual Employment Law Seminar

On October 23rd and October 24th, the MacLeod Law Firm will cover three important workplace issues at half-day seminars in Toronto and Barrie.

What Topics Are We Covering This Year?

(i) The Impact of Legal Recreational Cannabis in the workplace

In about two weeks, the federal government is legalizing the sale of recreational cannabis. Each province is going to decide how to sell cannabis and introduce laws that will prohibit a person from ingesting more than a prescribed amount of cannabis and driving. In the last week, Ontario has introduced such a law. We will discuss the components of a workplace policy that addresses recreational cannabis use.

(ii) Rolling Back Bill 148

Yesterday, Premier Ford signalled that legislation is coming that will roll back some parts of Bill 148. We will discuss the fate of the proposed increase in the minimum wage, recently introduced paid personal emergency leave days, and new scheduling, on call, and pay transparency laws that are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2019.

(iii) Ontario’s Human Rights Minefield

The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario has released a number of decisions this year which could significantly impact your employment practices. One decision may force employers to extend group extended medical benefits to employees who are over 65 years old. Another decision will force some employers to change the way they hire employees from different countries. We will discuss what these decisions mean to you.

Click here for more information on this seminar.

Who Should Attend Our Seminar

If you are responsible for HR issues at your workplace or you have to deal with employment issues as part of your job or you are ultimately responsible for paying monies to settle employee complaints, then you will benefit from attending this seminar.

The cost of this seminar is $199 plus H.S.T. To register, please email [email protected] or call 647-204-8107.

For over 30 years, Doug MacLeod of the MacLeod Law Firm has been advising employers on all aspects of the employment relationship. If you have any questions, you can contact him directly at 416-317-9894 or at [email protected]