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Ontario Hiring & Firing Employment Standards Act

Littler

Canada: Ontario Government Introduces Significant Changes to Key Workplace Legislation

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On May 28, 2025, the Ontario Government introduced the Working for Workers Seven Act, 2025 (Bill 30). If passed, Bill 30 will amend the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA), Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), and...more

Littler

Ontario, Canada Court of Appeal Agrees “For Cause” Termination Provision Was Unenforceable Because it Did not Comply with ESA’s...

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Applying prior precedent, the Court of Appeal for Ontario (OCA) in Dufault v. Ignace (Township), 2024 ONCA 915, upheld the Ontario Superior Court of Justice’s (OSCJ) finding that the “for cause” termination provision in an...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Ontario Court Reaffirms Importance of Clear and Compliant Language in Employment Agreements

In December 2024, the Court of Appeal for Ontario released its highly anticipated decision in Dufault v. Ignace (Township). The three-judge panel determined that the “for cause” termination clause contained in the employee’s...more

Stikeman Elliott LLP

Ontario Announces Effective Dates for Job Posting and Pay Transparency, and Employment Information Requirements

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The Ontario government recently announced January 1, 2026, as the effective date for the new pay transparency requirements in relation to publicly advertised job postings under the Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000 (the...more

Bennett Jones LLP

New Regulations Regarding the Hiring Process: Key Dates and Information for Ontario Employers

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Ontario has recently published regulations offering employers further details on the new amendments to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) related to the hiring process....more

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Ontario, Canada Court Finds Termination Provisions Unenforceable and Awards Employee Punitive Damages

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Wilds v. 1959612 Ontario Inc., 2024 ONSC 3452, involves a wrongful dismissal action in which the employee brought a motion for summary judgment. The court found the termination provisions in her employment agreement were...more

Littler

Ontario, Canada Court Upholds Provision Limiting Employee’s Termination Rights to Minimums Under Employment Standards Legislation

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In Bertsch v. Datastealth Inc., 2024 ONSC 5593, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice dismissed an employee’s claim for common law reasonable notice of termination on a Rule 21 motion....more

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Ontario, Canada Court Reinforces Waksdale’s Impact on Enforceability of Termination Provisions and Provides Guidance on Proving...

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In De Castro v. Arista Homes Limited, 2024 ONSC 1035, Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice (Court) held the termination provision in an employment contract was unenforceable because it defined “cause” more broadly than does...more

Miller Canfield

Key Takeaways from Ontario's Working for Workers Act Four, 2023

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In November 2023, the Government of Ontario passed Bill 149, the Working for Workers Four Act, 2023 (the “Act”). The Act places new obligations and prohibitions on employers, and intends to strengthen Ontario’s employee...more

Stikeman Elliott LLP

Incoming Legislative Changes for Ontario Employers: New Prohibition on Requirements Listed in Job Postings and Application Forms

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Further to our last post where we discussed the caution employers should exercise when requesting proof of citizenship or permanent residency status in the job application process, employers may soon face an additional level...more

Stikeman Elliott LLP

Ontario Updates: New Fines for ESA Contraventions, and Working for Workers Five Act (Bill 190) Proposed

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On May 6, 2024, the Ontario Government introduced Bill 190, the Working for Workers Five Act, 2024 (“Bill 190”), which, if passed, will provide new protections for workers, the key details of which are summarized below. The...more

Stikeman Elliott LLP

Ontario Update: Bill 149 Receives Royal Assent, includes Pay Transparency and AI Disclosure Requirements for Job Postings

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On March 21, 2024, the Working for Workers Four Act, 2024 (“Bill 149”) received Royal Assent. Bill 149 amends the Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000 (the “ESA”) to include a new section pertaining to job postings, which...more

Littler

Ontario, Canada Court Finds Termination Clauses in Fixed-Term Employment Agreement Unenforceable

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In Dufault v. The Corporation of the Township of Ignace, 2024 ONSC 1029, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice held that the termination provisions of a fixed-term employment contract were illegal and unenforceable because...more

Stikeman Elliott LLP

Ontario Court Rules Employer's Discretion to Terminate is Shackled by the ESA

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In Dufault v. The Corporation of the Township of Ignace ("Dufault"), the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, on a summary judgment motion, found the termination without cause provision of a fixed-term employment contract...more

Bennett Jones LLP

Changes to Ontario's Employment-Related Legislation Have Arrived

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As you may have heard or read in our earlier blog, More Changes to Ontario's Employment-Related Legislation Are on the Horizon, the Ontario government introduced Bill 79, Working for Workers Act, 2023 in late March 2023. On...more

Stikeman Elliott LLP

Fixed in Stone - Fixed Term Remains Secure Despite Invalid Termination Clause

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The Ontario Superior Court of Justice recently released its decision in Kopyl v Losani Homes (not yet cited) (the “Decision”), providing insight into the enforceability of fixed terms in employment agreements in circumstances...more

Bennett Jones LLP

More Changes to Ontario's Employment-Related Legislation Are on the Horizon

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On March 20, 2023, the Ontario government introduced Bill 79, Working for Workers Act, 2023 (Bill 79), which, if passed, will introduce changes to Ontario's Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) and other employment-related...more

Littler

Ontario, Canada Introduces Bill 79, Working for Workers Act, 2023 for First Reading

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On March 20, 2023, Ontario introduced Bill 79, Working for Workers Act, 2023 for First Reading. Bill 79 contains amendments to the province’s Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA), Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA),...more

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Ontario, Canada Proposes ESA Amendments Relating to Remote Workers and New Hires

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On March 13, 2023, Ontario announced that it is proposing two amendments to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) and related regulations. Employees Who Work Solely from Home to Become Eligible to Receive Enhanced...more

Littler

Ontario, Canada Court Decides Employment Contract’s Unenforceable Confidentiality and Conflict-of-Interest Clauses Invalidated All...

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Two years ago in Waksdale v. Swegon North America Inc., 2020 ONCA 391,  the Ontario Court of Appeal established the proper method for determining whether a termination clause in an employment agreement is enforceable. ...more

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Ontario, Canada: Availability of Deemed IDEL Ended on July 30, 2022 But Unpaid and Paid IDEL Still Available to Eligible Employees

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Deemed IDEL No Longer Available - In May of 2020, Ontario filed O. Reg. 228/20, which provided that a non-unionized employee who did not perform their job duties during the “COVID-19 period” because their work hours were...more

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Ontario: Requirements for Mandatory Policies,Training, Postings and Information Sheets - (For Employers with Ontario Employees...

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The poster is prepared by the Minister of Labour to help ensure employers understand their minimum obligations and employees know their rights. ...more

Littler

Ontario, Canada Court Applies the Rule in Waksdale and Provides Insight on Calculating Reasonable Notice Damages

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A recent wrongful dismissal opinion from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice weighed the impact of the pandemic and alleged failure to mitigate when deciding how much reasonable notice damages were owed the plaintiff. In...more

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Ontario, Canada: Working for Workers Act, 2022 Introduced and Carried at First Reading

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On the heels of the passage of the Working for Workers Act, 2021, Ontario introduced Bill 88, Working for Workers Act, 2022 (Bill 88) on February 28, 2022, and carried it at First Reading....more

Fisher Phillips

New Year Brings Employee-Friendly Changes to Ontario’s Employment Standards Act

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The Ontario government recently made significant amendments to its workplace laws in an effort to create a more pro-worker employment model. Formally known as Bill 27: Working for Workers Act, 2021, it changes a series of...more

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