Blog
2026 Canadian Minimum Wage Increases: What Employers Should Prepare For
Employers may wish to review their employment agreements, job descriptions, and IP protection strategies to ensure they are aligned with current legal expectations.
What Ontario Employers Need to Know: ESA Changes Coming January 1, 2026
Now, before you know it, January 1, 2026 will be upon us, and those hiring changes to Ontario’s Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) will be in force, reshaping hiring practices for employers with 25 or more employees.
The government is introducing these changes to increase transparency, fairness, and accountability in recruitment.
The following is a summary of the changes, and how employers should prepare.
Big Changes in Small Claims: What You Need to Know
Ontario is raising the Small Claims Court monetary limit from $35,000 to $50,000 in October 2025, allowing more individuals and small businesses to resolve disputes affordably without turning to the Superior Court. While the change promises faster, more accessible justice, it also risks worsening existing delays unless the court system receives much-needed staffing and infrastructure upgrades.
Tariffs, Trade Wars, and Temporary Relief: How Work-Sharing Saved Canadian Jobs
In the wake of the ever-escalating “trade war” between the United States and Canada, Canadian industries are facing mounting economic pressures. The imposition of these tariffs highlights the vulnerability of Canadian workers to trade policy, and the direct impact of these tariffs on everyday working Canadians. As a response, the Canadian government imposed an expansion of the federal Work-Sharing Program (the “Program”) under the Employment Insurance Act.
CRA Clarifies Reporting for Employment Settlements
In 2023, the federal government broadened the scope of reportable transactions under mandatory disclosure rules, sparking considerable concern among employment lawyers about how these changes might affect settlement agreements involving general damages and the associated reporting requirements to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). This article provides an update on these concerns in light of the federal government's recent clarifications.
Another Legal Update! Ontario Tables Working for Workers Five Act, 2024 (aka Bill 190).
On May 6, 2024, the Ontario government set in motion Bill 190, the Working for Workers Five Act, which builds on the previous four “Working for Workers” Bills.
Recent Updates in Ontario Employment Law
The Ontario Government tabled Bill 149, Working for Workers Four Act, 2023 (“Bill 149”) on November 14, 2023.
File Your Accessibility Compliance Report By December 31, 2023
It’s hard to believe it, but we’re already in the final quarter of 2023. Reader, if you’re anything like me, you’ll blink, and the end of the year will be here just like that. But don’t blink just yet: before we can wrap up 2023, we’ve got deadlines to meet.
Upcoming CLC Changes Impose New Obligations on Employers
Amendments to the Canada Labour Code (the “Code”) that first received royal assent on December 13, 2018, with a to-be-determined coming into force date, are now slated to soon come into force – imposing new obligations on federally regulated employers in the process
Enhanced Protections for Remote Workers and Increased Fines under Bill 79
On March 13, 2023, the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development announced proposed amendments to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (the “ESA”) and other related statutes under Bill 79, the Working for Workers Act, 2023. This is the third iteration of this Act responding to the changing realities of the modern workplace, principally in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Electronic Monitoring Policy
On April 11, 2022, Bill 88, the Working for Workers Act, 2022 (the “Act”), received Royal Assent, amending the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (the “ESA”) to require employers to develop “electronic monitoring” policies.
Parlez-vous français? An Employer’s Guide to Bill 96
On May 24, 2022, the Quebec Government passed Bill 96, which amends the Charter of the French Language in Quebec.
Update on Recent Changes: IDEL and Vaccinations
There was yet another change made by the Ontario government as it relates to the Infections Disease Emergency Leave (“IDEL”).