| Fact | Value | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario general minimum wage | 17.60 CAD/h | 2025-10-01 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Minimum wage ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Next scheduled Ontario general minimum wage | 17.95 effective October 1, 2026 | 2026-10-01 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Minimum wage ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Homeworker minimum wage | 19.35 CAD/h | 2025-10-01 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Homeworkers ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Platform work: minimum wage for platform work | General minimum wage for each work assignment, or per pay period | 2025-07-01 | Ontario, Rights and protections for digital platform workers ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Separate liquor server minimum wage | Abolished; servers get the general minimum wage since January 1, 2022 | 2022-01-01 | ESA Policy and Interpretation Manual, Part IX Minimum Wage ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Student minimum wage (under 18, 28 hours or less per week) | 16.60 CAD/h | 2025-10-01 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Minimum wage ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Overtime averaging agreements | Written agreement can average hours over up to four weeks | 2026-09-07 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Overtime pay ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Overtime rate | 1.5 times the regular rate of pay | 2026-09-07 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Overtime pay ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Overtime threshold | After 44 hours in a work week | 2026-09-07 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Overtime pay ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Number of ESA public holidays | 9 per year | 2026-09-07 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Public holidays ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Public holiday pay formula | Regular wages plus vacation pay in the four weeks before, divided by 20 | 2026-09-07 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Public holidays ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Vacation pay, five or more years of employment | 6% of gross wages | 2026-09-07 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Vacation ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Vacation pay, under five years of employment | 4% of gross wages | 2026-09-07 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Vacation ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Vacation time, five or more years of employment | 3 weeks per vacation entitlement year | 2026-09-07 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Vacation ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Vacation time, under five years of employment | 2 weeks per vacation entitlement year | 2026-09-07 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Vacation ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Is the meal break paid | Unpaid unless the employment contract requires payment | 2026-09-07 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Hours of work ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Deductions for cash shortages or lost property | Prohibited unless the employee had sole access and total control | 2026-09-07 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Payment of wages ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Deductions for faulty work | Prohibited, even with the employee's written authorization | 2026-09-07 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Payment of wages ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Minimum service before termination notice is owed | Three months of continuous employment | 2026-09-07 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Termination of employment ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Platform work: notice for removals of 24 hours or more | Two weeks' written notice | 2025-07-01 | Ontario, Rights and protections for digital platform workers ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Severance pay amount and cap | One week's regular wages per year of service, maximum 26 weeks | 2026-09-07 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Severance pay ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Severance pay eligibility | 5+ years of service and employer payroll over $2.5 million | 2026-09-07 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Severance pay ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Temporary layoff, extended limit | Up to 35 weeks in 52 weeks if benefits or payments continue | 2025-11-27 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Termination of employment ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Temporary layoff, short limit | Up to 13 weeks in any 20 consecutive weeks | 2026-09-07 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Termination of employment ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Termination notice by length of service | 1 week per year of service, to a maximum of 8 weeks | 2026-09-07 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Termination of employment ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Digital Platform Workers' Rights Act, 2022 in force | July 1, 2025 | 2025-07-01 | Ontario, Rights and protections for digital platform workers ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Platform work: dispute forum | All platform work disputes must be resolved in Ontario | 2025-07-01 | Ontario, Rights and protections for digital platform workers ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Platform work: information disclosure within 24 hours of platform access | Operator must give specified information in writing within 24 hours of access | 2025-07-01 | Ontario, Rights and protections for digital platform workers ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Platform work: tip protection | Operator cannot withhold or deduct tips except by statute or court order | 2025-07-01 | Ontario, Rights and protections for digital platform workers ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Platform work: written reasons before removal | Operator must give a written explanation for removing platform access | 2025-07-01 | Ontario, Rights and protections for digital platform workers ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Workers' compensation (WSIB): coverage for gig and independent contractors | Not covered outside construction; optional insurance can be bought | 2026-09-07 | WSIB, Independent operators ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Workers' compensation (WSIB): deadline for a worker to claim | 6 months from the injury or the diagnosis | 2026-09-07 | WSIB Operational Policy Manual, Workers' Requirement to Claim and Consent ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Workers' compensation (WSIB): mandatory coverage | Most Ontario businesses with employees must register within 10 days of first hire | 2026-09-07 | WSIB, Do you need to register with us ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Employment standards: claim limitation period | 2 years from the contravention | 2026-09-07 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Filing a claim ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| How to file an ESA claim | Free online claim form with the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development | 2026-09-07 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Filing a claim ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Eating period | 30 minutes after no more than five hours of work | 2026-09-07 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Hours of work ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Employment standards: burden of proof on employee status | Employer must prove the person is not an employee | 2026-09-07 | ESA Policy and Interpretation Manual, Part III (s. 5.1) ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Employment standards: misclassification prohibition | Employer may not treat an employee as a contractor, intern or volunteer | 2026-09-07 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Employee status ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Employment standards: rights and immigration status | Foreign nationals have the same ESA rights as other Ontario employees | 2026-09-07 | Ontario, Employment rights and obligations for foreign nationals ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Family responsibility leave | 3 unpaid job-protected days per calendar year | 2026-09-07 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Family responsibility leave ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Holding a worker's passport or work permit | Employers and recruiters may not take or keep the worker's documents | 2026-09-07 | Ontario, Employment rights and obligations for foreign nationals (EPFNA) ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Hunting, fishing and wilderness guide minimum, five or more hours in a day | 176.15 CAD/day | 2025-10-01 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Minimum wage ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Hunting, fishing and wilderness guide minimum, under five hours in a day | 88.05 CAD/day | 2025-10-01 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Minimum wage ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Medical note for ESA sick leave | Employer cannot require a note from a health practitioner | 2024-10-28 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Sick leave ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Recruiter fees to foreign nationals | Recruiters and employers may not charge any fee or recover costs | 2026-09-07 | Ontario, Employment rights and obligations for foreign nationals (EPFNA) ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Reporting a health and safety concern to the Ministry | Call the Health and Safety Contact Centre at 1-877-202-0008 | 2026-09-07 | Ontario, Filing a workplace health and safety complaint ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Right to refuse unsafe work | A worker may refuse work they believe is unsafe or violent | 2026-09-07 | Guide to the Occupational Health and Safety Act, Part V ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Sick leave eligibility | After two consecutive weeks of employment | 2026-09-07 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Sick leave ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Sick leave entitlement | 3 unpaid job-protected days per calendar year | 2026-09-07 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Sick leave ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Statutory probation period | None; ESA notice simply begins at three months of service | 2026-09-07 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Termination of employment ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Tip pooling | Allowed if redistributed among employees; owner share is limited | 2026-09-07 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Tips or other gratuities ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Tip protection | Employer cannot withhold, deduct from, or take back tips | 2026-09-07 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Tips or other gratuities ✓ 2026-09-09 |
| Wage statement requirement | Written statement on or before each pay day showing pay period, gross wages and each deduction | 2026-09-07 | Ontario Ministry of Labour, Payment of wages ✓ 2026-09-09 |
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How this page is checked
Before an approved update, the checker re-opens each source and looks for the exact claim. A ✓ shows the date that last succeeded. Archived copies may support explicitly historical claims, never current applicability.
iamonmybreak publishes general information for working people. It is not legal, tax, or financial advice, and it is not a substitute for advice about your own situation. Rules differ by province and country and change over time; the date at the top of this piece is when we last checked. For your specific case, especially anything involving money you are owed, contact a free community legal clinic or your provincial or state labour standards office.