Province Injecting Money into Workers’ Rights

Published September 21, 2017 at 1:01 am

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A whopping total of $500,000 is available for non-profits for a special cause thanks to the province. If you have an idea for a project that will educate vulnerable workers or small- and mid-sized businesses on being treated and treating others fairly in the workplace, this grant is for you!

Workplace rights and responsibilities are no joke – everyone deserves to be treated fairly where they work. Now, a brand new grant is available for non-profit organizations to educate workers and business on their rights and duties under the Employment Standards Act.

The Employment Standards Training and Education program is definitely getting a healthy injection of money for non-profits to create new programming geared towards workplace rights – that’s right, there’s $500,000 available in total. 

“People in our province expect to be treated fairly at work,” said minister of labour Kevin Flynn. “And that’s why everyone should know their rights and responsibilities at the workplace. By working with and leveraging the expertise of groups working directly on the frontlines with businesses and vulnerable workers, we can better ensure that workplaces get the vital information they need.”

According to the province, the new grant program speaks to recommendations from the Changing Workplaces Review “for continued collaboration with other organizations on education and outreach.”

This is all part of the plan for Fair Workplaces and Better Jobs under the Wynne government. Just like increasing the minimum wage, ensuring part-time workers are paid the same hourly wage as full-time workers, introducing paid personal emergency leave days for every worker and stepping up enforcement of employment laws. 

Did you know that as part of the plan, the province has been conducting workplaces in high-risk sectors to increase awareness of and compliance with the Employment Standards Act? 

That’s right, and it’s hiring up to 175 more employment standards officers. The province seems to be stepping up its game on workplace fairness.

This new grant and the new officers might be great news for the 6.92 workers in Ontario, where small businesses represent 95 per cent of all employers in the province and they employ 28 per cent of Ontario’s workers.

Hopefully, employees will soon feel more protected, and employers more supported.

Eligible non-profit organizations can apply for the grant online. The application deadline is 4 p.m. on October 30, 2017, and successful applicants will be announced in 2018.

Give it a shot, Mississauga!

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