Is a Basic Income Guarantee the Right Choice for Ontario?

Introduction In 2017, Ontario introduced pilot projects related to a Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) benefit in three Ontario communities. The Ontario pilot projects apply to both low-income individuals in the workforce and low-income individuals not in the workforce. The objective of the pilot projects is to assess whether there is a simple way of providing a living wage that would lift all Ontarians out of poverty. Before assessing BIG in the context of both working and...

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The unfinished business of labour law reform in Ontario: A strategy for implementing sectoral bargaining

Introduction This post on sectoral collective bargaining is the first of a number of posts related to the unfinished business of labour law reform in Ontario that will be published by Canada Fact Check during the run-up to the June 7, Ontario election. Future posts will focus on a range of topics related to employment standards, pensions, health and safety, and the WSIB. While the post contains a fair amount of detail on the specifics of sectoral collective...

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Changing Workplaces: the coming mega-battle over Ontario’s workplace rules.

An interim report on Ontario's workplace rules tabled many far reaching options for labour law reform including a new approach to collective bargaining aimed at smaller employers. In the spring of 2015, the Government of Ontario initiated its Changing Workplaces Review to determine what changes, if any, should be made to the province's labour laws in light of the fact that, in the government's own words, "non-standard employment (which includes involuntary part-time, temporary, self-employment without help and multiple...

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Ontario NDP Bill on Domestic Violence Gets Support of Minister, Unions

Ontario Morning News Round-up and Legislative  Agenda for Nov. 28. Ontario News Round-Up NDP MPP Peggy Sattler seems to have the support of Ontario Labour Minister Dennis Flynn for her Bill 26. The bill was reffered to the Ontario legislature's Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly after receiving approval at Second Reading on October 20.   Bill 26 would amend both the Employment Standards Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Act to include up to 10 days of...

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Federal and Ontario News Round-up for Oct. 6

Federal News Round-up In the House, Wednesday, the Liberal government promised new pay-equity legislation that will put the onus on employers in federally regulated industries (representing roughly 15% of the workforce) to ensure men and women are paid equally for work of equal value. But the government is being criticized by labour groups for a timeline that won’t see the legislation tabled until 2018. The Liberals’ approach will reverse the radical overhaul of pay equity the...

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The fight for a $15 per hour minimum wage in Ontario

On April 15, thousands of fast-food workers in more than 200 U.S. cities, and thousands more workers in other countries, including Canada, participated in a global show of force in support of a $15-per-hour minimum wage and mandatory paid sick days. In the U. S., the $15 minimum wage campaign has made remarkable legislative gains in the past two years. In 2015, policymakers in 14 cities, counties and states approved $15 minimum wage laws including...

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What you need to know about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)

    What is the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) ? Canada, U.S. and Mexico have long had special access to each other’s markets under NAFTA. Instead of a group of three as under NAFTA, twelve countries would share in the advantages of TPP membership. Broadly speaking, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is similar to NAFTA in that it involves pledges to reduce or eliminate tariffs on a wide range of goods and services. It also sets out rules for...

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