On May 30th, the Ontario Government announced its intention to introduce proposed legislation, the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, based on recommendations made from the Changing Workplaces Review Final Report released earlier in May. This piece of legislation would have broad amendments to Ontario’s Employment Standards Act and Labour Relations Act.
Proposed legislation would include the expansion of personal emergency leave and vacation time, equal pay to part-time and temporary workers and an increase to minimum wage. Representing a large number of small businesses throughout the province, IBAO believes that these standards would come at a cost to employers and consumers and ultimately hinder economic growth. Many of these changes will have unforeseen negative impacts on small businesses (those with less than 50 employees) as escalating operation costs would limit the employer’s ability to invest in their employees, their communities and their business infrastructure.
We ask that the Government involve IBAO in their consultation process to better understand how these changes will impact the insurance broker industry. It’s essential that the Government work with associations and small businesses across the province to determine the broad impact these changes will have prior to proceeding with legislation. A complete overhaul of the system could result in negative economic consequences including changes to employee benefit programs, charitable giving and community stability in employment.
We will continue to work with our members across Ontario, with the Ontario Government and other stakeholders to mitigate negative impacts of the proposed changes.
Ministry of Labour Announcement
Changing Workplaces Review Final Report
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