What is the Ontario Ministry of Labour?
The Ministry of Labour and its agencies set workplace standards, which covers most workers in Ontario. The ministry’s mandate is to advance safe, fair, and harmonious labour practices to support the social and economic well-being of workers in the province.
From development to enforcement, labour legislation is determined and administered by the ministry across three major areas of employment:
1. Employment rights and responsibilities
2. Occupational health and safety
3. Labour relations
Within the three programs, the ministry is accountable for a number of responsibilities, such as, compliance, enforcement, complaints investigation, and settlement.
What laws does the Ministry of Labour oversee?
The ministry is responsible for legislation as it applies to each of the three main focuses. As of August 2016, the laws listed by the Ministry of Labour are as follows:
Employment Rights and Responsibilities
- Employment Standards Act, 2000
- Employment Protection for Foreign Nationals Act, 2009
- Pay Equity Act
- Protecting Child Performers Act, 2015
Occupational Health and Safety
- Occupational Health and Safety Act
- Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997
Labour Relations
- Labour Relations Act, 1990
- Ambulance Services Collective Bargaining Act, 2001
- Crown Employees Collective Bargaining Act, 1993
- Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997
- Hospital Labour Disputes Arbitration Act, 1990
- Labour Relations Act, 1995
- Public Sector Dispute Resolution Act, 1997
- Public Sector Labour Relations Transition Act, 1997
- Public Sector Transition Stability Act, 1997
- Rights of Labour Act
How does the Ministry of Labour effect small business owners?
As an employer of any business size, it is important to understand the role that the Ministry of Labour has and how this impacts your business in many ways, such as, workplace regulations, employment standards, and employee rights.
You must be well-aware of your rights and comply with your obligations as an employer to prevent any challenges to your business. In the case of a proactive inspection by an employment standards officer, you may be asked to provide a list of records and other documents for inspection. Let us help you prepare, prevent, and proceed with business as usual.
Are you thinking about how the Ministry of Labour effects your business? Stop asking around and ask Employer Line’s HR specialists instead.
Ask Employer Line any employment-related question on our complimentary advice line. Our experts at Peninsula are here to help small business owners by providing the extra HR support you’re looking for. Ask us how you can benefit from our HR consultancy services to ensure that your policies and procedures are compliant with the rules and regulations set by the Ministry of Labour. Don’t wait, call us today 1(833) 247-3650.