Ontario Workplace Legislation Reform: The Saga Continues
Ontario Workplace Legislation Reform: The Saga Continues
The Working for Workers Seven Act, 2025: What you need to know
As part of its ongoing response to the economic turbulence caused by Canada’s trade conflict with the U.S., the Ontario government recently introduced Bill 30, the Working for Workers 7 Act, 2025. As its name suggests, this is the seventh in a series of bills introduced in recent years to reform Ontario’s labour and employment laws. Bill 30 proposes a series of amendments to the Employment Standards Act, the Occupational Health and Safety Act, and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act.
Since Bill 30 has only been recently introduced it still has a long way to go through parliamentary debates and approval before it can officially become a binding law. However, given that the government has signaled its intent to enact the proposed changes into law, it is valuable for employers to prepare ahead of time.
This bulletin will briefly review the amendments that Bill 30 would make to various laws. Each heading describes a law that Bill 30 would amend, and the bullets below the heading describe how the law would be amended.
Employment Standards Act, 2000
Persons operating job posting platforms will have to adopt a mechanism for users to report fraudulent publicly-advertised job postings, and to have a written policy with respect to fraudulent publicly advertised job postings.
A new “job seeking leave” will be implemented. The leave would be triggered if 50 or more employees receive notice of termination. The leave would provide impacted employees with three unpaid days off to seek new employment. This would be in addition to any other rights under applicable law.
A new extended type of layoff will be implemented. The layoff will be more than 35 weeks in any period of period of 52 consecutive weeks, but not 52 or more weeks in any period of 78 consecutive weeks. It would apply where the employer and employee agree to it and the Director of Employment Standards approves. This mechanism would allow for the employment relationship to continue for longer periods, which may be necessary given economic conditions.
Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1990
A new administrative penalty scheme for contraventions of, or failures to comply with, the Occupational Health and Safety Act will be implemented.
Construction projects with 20 or more workers and lasting for three months or longer will be required to have automated external defibrillators. A reimbursement program will be initiated to help those employers that are required by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act to purchase a defibrillator.
Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997
A new section will be added to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act that prohibits employers from making a false or misleading statement or representation to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board in connection with any person’s claim for benefits under the insurance plan. Any infraction of this new clause will result in a penalty.
An increase in the maximum fine payable by an employer that is convicted of two or more counts of the same offence in the same legal proceeding to $750,000 for each conviction will be implemented. In determining the penalty, each of the following circumstances shall be considered an aggravating factor:
The party was previously convicted of an offence under Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997.
The party has been convicted of two or more counts of the same offence in the legal proceeding to which the determination of the penalty relates.
The party has a record of prior non-compliance with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997.
Takeaways for Employers
Overall, the changes contemplated by Bill 30 are not expansive, and are instead incremental changes to compliance requirements. While some of the intended amendments will favour employers, others will favour employees. This reflects an approach which seems to be seeking to strike a balance between the rights of workers and the need for flexible business rules. In any event, employers should review the amendments proposed by Bill 30 to ensure that they will be ready to comply with the new requirements once the Ontario legislation comes into force.