Ontario has introduced amendments to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 that will, if passed, include new requirements for publicly advertised job postings to increase pay transparency obligations of employers. Bill 149 (Working for Workers Four Act, 2023) was approved at Second Reading in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on November 23 and was referred to a Standing Committee on Social Policy.
Specifically, employers would be required to:
If approved, Ontario would become the third province to enact pay transparency legislation for the private sector (following British Columbia and Prince Edward Island). Similar legislation in Newfoundland and Labrador has yet to take effect. Employers should monitor progress of the proposed reforms and prepare to review their policies and practices on pay and recruitment to ensure compliance, including but not limited to the development of a pay transparency strategy, internal assessment of readiness, and communication and education approach.
