Canadian Employment Law
Articles about labour legislation and related legal updates
April 30 2014 - Bill 21, the Employment Standards Amendments Act (Leaves to Help
Families), 2014, passed its third reading in the Ontario legislature with all party support.
April 1 2014 - On April 1, Nova Scotia's minimum wage rose by 10 cents, to $10.40 an hour.
December 3 2012 - Manitoba intends to eliminate an exemption allowing employees with disabilities to be
paid less than the minimum wage.
December 1 2012 - Saskatchewan's minimum wage increased to $10.00 per hour on December 1, 2012 -
up from the previous rate of $9.50 per hour.
April 1 2012 - The New Brunswick minimum wage increased by 50 cents to $10 per hour on Sunday, April 1 2012.
March 4 2009 - Alberta's 20,000 minimum wage earners will receive a 40 cent per hour
increase on April 1 when the rate goes up from $8.40 per hour to $8.80 per hour.
August 28 2008 - The number of industries covered by the Manitoba Workers Compensation Board will be increased from
January 1, 2009.
October 4, 2007 - The second stage of the Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower
Protection) Act covering employees reporting wrongdoings in the public service is now in effect.
July 26 2007 - The new Canadian government intends to move two amendments to Bill C-44 that
calls for the repeal of section 67 of the Canadian Human Rights Act. This has prevented First Nations, mainly living
on reserves, from full protection under an Act that has been in force for 30 years.
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March 9 2006 - One of the largest unions in Ontario
has asked for workplace violence to be covered by the province's health and safety
legislation.
January 25 2006 - The Ontario Ministry of Labour has updated and amended the confined space requirements in the existing Industrial, Construction, Health Care and Mining Regulations to develop a separate, stand-alone Confined Spaces Regulation
January 5 2006 - Amendments intended to improve benefits, increase
prevention, and strengthen accountability and governance measures came into effect January 1 2006.
September 15 2005 - The Ontario Ministry of Labour, Occupational Health and Safety Division has
prepared a Health and Safety guideline for computer operators.
August 2 2005 - (Quebec) On June 17, 2005, Bill 112 received Royal Assent and will come into force on May 31, 2006 with exceptions. Employers should start developing an agenda for effective compliance with the new requirements.
July 6 2005 - (Alberta) Additional guidelines regarding hiring of employees
between the ages of 12 to 14 in the Food and Restaurant industry
June 16 2005 - (Ontario) Bill 144 was passed on the last day of the Parliamentary session, and was
the focus of harsh criticism from the labour movement.
June 16 2005 - (Ontario) When enacted, the legislation will reverse workplace policies
and collective agreements that allow businesses and unions to discriminate against older
employees and force them to leave their jobs when they turn 65.
June 16 2005 - (Ontario) The new legislation establishes a
province-wide smoking ban in all enclosed public places in Ontario, including workplaces.
May 31 2005 - Employees and
employers now have a mechanism to ensure first collective greements are settled in a timely
fashion.
May 31 2005 - Employees who report wrongdoing now have even stronger protection following amendments to the Labour Standards Act introduced by the Saskatchewan government on November 19, 2004.
