Employment Law in Ontario

If you are considering making a career move to Canada, or even moving within the country to work and live in Toronto, you will want to know all that you can about employment law in Ontario. The website DeBousquet.com is a good resource on employment law. The human resources sector of the government is constantly evolving with the times and this also includes laws that govern hiring and firing, hours of work, and other employment-related issues. Knowing what you can expect when working in Canada can help you feel more secure while maintaining a healthy balance between work and home life.

Employment law in Ontario works under the Ministry of Education, Employment and Workforce Development. This ministry works hand-in-hand with the provincial and territorial governments to promote and provide services that will help all workers in Ontario to enjoy equal opportunity no matter what part of the province they live in. This ministry also enforces employment laws that are federally defined as part of the Canada Labour Code. It helps to ensure that all workers have the rights to fair remuneration and work that is safe from discrimination on the basis of gender, race, age, association membership or any other employment-related criteria.

Because Ontario is a country with two major linguistic communities, many of its laws and regulations do not apply to some sections of the city of Toronto, which are known as the Toronto District Municipality. However, these laws do apply to all workers in the city and to all employers within the metropolitan area of Toronto, regardless of their language or cultural background. As well, Ontario law applies to people who reside outside of the province and who wish to work in Toronto. In order to keep everyone covered, the City of Toronto requires that all new employees obtain municipal labour licensing before they can start working in the city.