Bill to increase Minimum Wage hotly debated in Ontario Legislature Bill 148, Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017, is in the midst of being debated by members of the Ontario Legislature. The Bill proposes changes to Ontario’s Employment Standards Act, which include an increase of the minimum wage to $14 per hour by January 1st, 2018 and again to $15 per hour by January 1st, 2019. Political parties are split over the effect the changes will have on businesses and workers. One of the Bill’s sponsors, Hon. Peter Milczyn, said: “the reality is that one out of 10 workers in our province earns the current minimum wage of $11.40. Meanwhile, three out of 10 workers earn less than $15 an hour. This includes millions of people, many of whom are supporting a family, making car payments, trying to save for an education and paying their daily bills. They work very hard every day to try to get ahead, but they feel they’ve been left behind. Increasing the minimum wage will make a real difference in their lives”. Opposition MPP Bill Walker, spoke to the Bill, saying: “the business community is certainly not suggesting, and we’re not supporting, that people don’t need a good living wage. Certainly, at the end of the day, we support a $15 minimum wage. But it has to be done in a timely manner. It has to give people the ability to adjust their business. At the end of the day, the fiscal accountability officer has just come out with a report suggesting that there could be 50,000 jobs lost because of the speed at which they’re going to implement this. So this isn’t just us, Mr. Speaker. This is a third-party resource of this Legislature that is suggesting that.” In any case, the effects of the new rules, if passed, on both employers and employees will be profound. Until then, we will have to wait to see how the changes take shape in their final form. If you are in need of a labour or employment lawyer, please visit our employment page and contact one of our lawyers today. For any other legal services or inquiries, please contact Devry Smith Frank LLP directly at 416-449-1400 or visit our website for more information. By: Stuart Clark, Student-at-Law “This article is intended to inform. Its content does not constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon by readers as such. If you require legal assistance, please see a lawyer. Each case is unique and a lawyer with good training and sound judgment can provide you with advice tailored to your specific situation and needs.” By Fauzan SiddiquiBlog, Employment LawOctober 18, 2017June 18, 2020
Recycling Plant to Pay $1.33M in Fines, Back Wages A recycling plant in North York has been employing temp-workers for years at a low-wage and has been ordered to pay $1.33M in fines and back pay to workers. Canada Fibers Ltd. has violated the City of Toronto’s fair wage policy after a two year investigation revealed they were paying workers below the agreed upon rates. Canada Fibers has two, seven-year contract with the city to process blue bin recyclables, and within those contracts included that all employees, including temp workers, will be paid $12.34 an hour with pay increases tied to inflation. The contracts with the city are worth more than $264 million. After a series of reports by The Star on a worker who had been working for years at minimum wage with the company, $11 an hour at the time, an investigation was launched in 2015 into the company which found that 1,600 workers were owed money due to low wages. The investigation was conducted over two years by the city’s Fair Wage Office. It also found that Canada Fibers uses 5 different temp agencies to staff their facilities. Now, Canada Fibers has agreed to pay approximately $1.2M in good faith payments to employees and a $135,000 administration fee to the City of Toronto. Such an investigation highlights how important Bill 148 is to provide equal work for equal pay to temp agency workers and part time workers, as improvements are needed in the enforcement of this. Part time and temp workers who do the same work as their full time counterparts deserve the same treatment and pay. Devry Smith Frank LLP is a full service law firm that has a very experienced group of lawyers within our employee and labour law groups. If you are in need of representation, please contact one of our lawyers today or call us directly at 416-449-1400. By: Nicolas Di Nardo “This article is intended to inform. Its content does not constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon by readers as such. If you require legal assistance, please see a lawyer. Each case is unique and a lawyer with good training and sound judgment can provide you with advice tailored to your specific situation and needs.” By Fauzan SiddiquiBlog, Employment Law, Labour LawSeptember 26, 2017June 18, 2020
