The Government of Ontario has introduced legislation that would establish employment standards for gig economy workers, including minimum wage and regular paydays.
The provincial government says that the new “Digital Platform Workers’ Rights Act” will be separate from Ontario’s already established “Employment Standards Act.”
The new legislation covers ride hailing and delivery drivers, as well as others who are offered work assignments through digital platforms.
“We’ve seen huge shifts around traditional labour markets, and as we build a resilient economy, our government must keep pace with those changes,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said at a news conference.
Ontario is the first Canadian province to establish foundational rights for gig economy workers.
Proposed rights within the legislation include a guarantee that workers will get written information detailing how platforms’ algorithms work, how pay is calculated, how operators’ performance rating systems work and how operators collect tips.
It will also establish a recurring pay period and a $15 minimum wage for active hours that’s tied to the provincial minimum wage, while barring operators from withholding tips and prohibiting reprisal against workers for exercising their rights under the act.
The proposed legislation would also require operators to give workers notice of and rationale for their removal from a platform if they are removed for more than 24 hours, and it would see digital platform work disputes resolved within Ontario.
The bill doesn’t address the employment status of app-based gig workers – who are largely classified as contractors and not employees – but the province says it will give them employment rights.
Opposition politicians and some private sector economists criticized the move by the Ontario government, saying the proposed law provides a substandard set of rights as it doesn’t cover employment standards such as overtime and holiday pay, or emergency leave.