Ontario aspires to be the best place in the world to work, live and raise a family thanks to the “pro-worker” law it just passed.
“This legislation is another step forward in rebuilding a better province and strengthening Ontario’s position as a world leader,” said Minister of Labor, Training and Skills Development, Monte McNaughton, when this law was passed.
According to him, the most populous province of Canada is innovating with its measures which, among other things, require companies to have a policy on the right to disconnect to allow people to more easily spend time with family and those close to them.
Ontario now prohibits companies from using non-compete agreements to help workers advance their careers and earn more money.
In addition, this law notably allows truckers and food deliverers “who allow our society to continue to function”, the minister added, the right to access the toilets of the companies and restaurants they serve.
By protecting workers’ rights in this way, Ontario is positioning itself as the most attractive destination for foreign investment and talent, said the minister.
“Our government works every day for workers to help them earn better wages, stay safe and have access to better opportunities,” he continued.
Mixed reactions
The Unifor union believes the work disconnection policy is a first step towards establishing clearer boundaries between personal time and work time to improve physical and mental health outcomes.
“Technology has increasingly blurred the work-life balance, a situation exacerbated during COVID-19 as people transform their homes into workplaces, with workers being reachable and available 24 hours a day. 24, 7 days a week, ”said Jerry Dias, National President of Unifor.
The CUPE CUPE union, for its part, filed a brief to contest Bill 27, November 18, 2021. The president, Fred Hahn, sees it as a charming pre-election campaign.
“Today, six months before an election, this government has somewhat abandoned its anti-worker mentality […] Although the pro-worker discussion topics of this Conservative government are appreciated, it is clear that the situation for workers in Ontario will be much worse than when this government came to power almost four years ago, ”a- he pleaded.
Other measures adopted on Tuesday to support vulnerable workers required recruiters and temporary work agencies to hold a compulsory license, with penalties imposed on violators. Lawyers have nevertheless deplored that the penalties required are really not severe enough, reported the “Toronto Star”.