Ontario Employment Legislation Amendments: They Just Keep Coming
Ontario’s government is continuing its ongoing campaign to update Ontario’s employment legislation bit by bit, this time with three unrelated modest changes:
Minimum Wage Increase: Effective October 1, 2026, the Ontario minimum wage will increase from $17.60 to $17.95 to reflect recent the 1.9% increase in the Consumer Price Index for the year ending before the recent run up in fuel prices;
Banning Requirements for Employees to Pay for Uniforms: Ontario is belatedly following in the footsteps of other provinces like B.C. in prohibiting employers from requiring employees to purchase uniforms or “corporate wear” that is not reasonably suited to be worn in day to day living or deducting the cost of such clothing from wages. Such requirements most often fall on low wage workers who often have to incur significant expense to purchase employer mandated clothing with no guarantee that they will earn enough wages with the particular employer to make the purchase worthwhile. This realigns Ontario law to prevent employers from effectively shifting this business cost to employees.
Regulations for Entertainment Industry Talent Agencies: In a first in Canada, Ontario has tabled the draft Strengthening Talent Agency Regulation (STAR) Act which will:
- Limit commission rates charged by talent agencies for actors and extras;
- Ban unauthorized additional fees payable by talent;
- Require timely payment of wages to performers; and
- Mandate that agencies maintain funds payable to performers in a separate trust account, protecting the funds from exposure to claims by creditors of the agency.
For more details or help complying, please contact us:
Geoffrey Howard: ghoward@howardlaw.ca
604 424-9686
Sebastian Chern: schern@howardlaw.ca
604 424-9688
