56 | LEXPERT • June 2018 | www.lexpert.ca/usguide
changes or even refuse shis if asked
to work with insufficient notice,
effective Jan. 1, 2019;
• Increase minimum vacation entitle-
ments to three weeks per year for
employees with five or more years
of service;
• Give all employees in Ontario paid
personal emergency leave days, not just
those with 50 or more employees.
A minimum number of those 10 have
to be paid days. Previously, all 10 were
unpaid. Employers can no longer ask
for doctors' notes;
• Make it easier for unions to obtain
bargaining rights;
• Increase fines and penalties
for non-compliance.
"ere seems to be a lack of economic
data to justify that increase," says
Changes to provincial
employment laws
and the introduction
of cannabis legislation
are prompting Canadian
employers to review their
employment policies
By Jennifer Brown,
with files from Lexpert
A RISE IN
WORKERS' RIGHTS
Labor & Employment
e government of Ontario (Canada's
largest province) revamped its provin-
cial employment legislation last year and
created the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs
Act, 2017, which includes a wide range
of amendments to the Employment
Standards Act and Labour Relations Act.
e goal was to create greater certainty
for workers across Ontario, but some
suggest the changes in the Act could create
significant competitive issues.
With the stated goals of creating more
opportunity and security for workers,
key amendments:
• Raise the minimum wage to C$15 per
hour by Jan. 1, 2019;
• Require employers to pay part-time,
temporary and seasonal workers the same
rate as regular full-time employees;
• Allow employees to request schedule
