The Ontario Chamber Network is calling on the Government of Ontario to immediately repeal the drastic labour reforms introduced by Bill 148, the Fair Workplaces Better Jobs Act, 2017.
On October 2, 2018, Premier Doug Ford signalled that the government will be reviewing Bill 148. This is positive news for the Ontario business community and we will continue to hold the government to account on this commitment.
Bill 148, the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017, was passed on November 22, 2017. This legislation makes several changes to both the Employment Standards Act, 2000, the Labour Relations Act, 1995, and the Occupational Health and Safety Act, including raising the minimum wage.
The Ontario Chamber Network is dedicated to working collaboratively with the provincial government to strengthen business competitiveness and economic prosperity across Ontario.
We recognize the importance of modernizing labour relations and employment standards in Ontario. However, with respect to Bill 148, the process of consultation and implementation undermine the Ontario business community and were too much, too fast. It is important that future labour reforms are both fair to business and workers.
We are calling for repeal of the labour reforms introduced by Bill 148. The Ontario business community must be appropriately consulted, and a comprehensive economic impact analysis needs to be completed for any future proposed changes to employment legislation.
We support the minimum wage remaining at $14 an hour and the Government of Ontario confirmed it will remain at this rate rather than raising to $15 in January 2019. This is an excellent first step towards alleviating the burden felt by Ontario businesses due to the many unintended but predictable consequences of Bill 148.
