Ontario employment law changes: what’s in force, what’s next

A dated tracker of the Ontario rule changes that matter to employers: the in-force date, who each one affects, and the official source. Rules checked October 25, 2026.

Rules checked October 25, 2026

The short answer

In force since January 1, 2026: job posting rules for employers with 25 or more employees (pay ranges, AI disclosure, no Canadian experience requirement, replies to interviewed applicants within 45 days).
Minimum wage: $17.95 an hour from October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027. The student rate is $16.90 and the homeworker rate $19.70.
Pending: Bill 105, the POWER Act, would ban charging employees for uniforms from January 1, 2027. It had not passed as of October 25, 2026.
Deadlines: the accessibility compliance report (20 or more employees) is due December 31, 2026; employers with 25 or more on January 1, 2027 need their disconnecting and monitoring policies by March 1, 2027.

At a glance

Newest first. “In force” means it applies now; “pending” means it isn’t law yet.

Change	Status	Date	Who it affects
Ban on charging employees for uniforms (Bill 105, Schedule 1)	Pending. Ordered for third reading May 25, 2026; no Royal Assent	January 1, 2027, if passed	Every employer
Child care centre rules: training on every required policy, a written supervision policy (O. Reg. 197/26)	Made	January 1, 2027	Licensed child care centres
Minimum wage $17.95 (student $16.90, homeworker $19.70)	In force	October 1, 2026	Every employer
Job posting rules (O. Reg. 476/24)	In force	January 1, 2026	25 or more employees, public job ads
OHSA administrative penalties (O. Reg. 365/25)	In force; one contravention prescribed so far	January 1, 2026	Narrow for now (public-sector construction buyers)
Job-seeking leave: 3 unpaid days on mass termination (Bill 30)	In force	November 27, 2025	Employers giving mass termination notice
Written information for new hires before the first day	In force	July 1, 2025	25 or more employees
Long-term illness leave: up to 27 weeks unpaid	In force	June 19, 2025	Every employer
No medical note for Employment Standards sick leave	In force	October 28, 2024	Every employer
Workplace harassment includes virtual harassment	In force	October 28, 2024	Every employer
Placement of a child leave: 16 weeks unpaid	Passed, not yet in force (date to be set)	—	Every employer

Pending: Bill 105, the POWER Act

Bill 105, the Protecting Ontario’s Workers and Economic Resilience Act, 2026, was introduced on April 20, 2026, amended in committee, and ordered for third reading on May 25, 2026. As of October 25, 2026 it had not received Royal Assent, so none of it is law yet. The Legislature returns on October 27.

As amended in committee, the parts employers will notice are:

Uniforms (Employment Standards Act, new s. 13.1): no charging employees for uniforms or other prescribed items, or for their repair or cleaning, with limited exceptions, from January 1, 2027.
Health and safety: a worker exposure registry, and recognition of training and protective equipment standards from other provinces, on Royal Assent.
WSIB: benefit changes, including loss-of-earnings benefits rising from 85% to 90%, on dates to be set.

Bill 105 is not the Working for Workers Seven Act. That was Bill 30, which received Royal Assent on November 27, 2025. We update this page when Bill 105 passes or changes; sign up below to get an email when it does.

Coming deadlines

Date	What’s due	Who
December 31, 2026	Accessibility compliance report, filed online. Prepare it with the free helper.	20 or more employees
January 1, 2027	Count your employees: it decides the March 1 policies.	Every employer
March 1, 2027	Written disconnecting-from-work and electronic monitoring policies in place.	25 or more on January 1
April 1, 2027	The October 2027 minimum wage is announced by this date.	Every employer

Common questions

Is there a Working for Workers Act in 2026?

No. The most recent is the Working for Workers Seven Act, 2025 (Bill 30), which received Royal Assent on November 27, 2025. The 2026 bill is Bill 105, the Protecting Ontario’s Workers and Economic Resilience (POWER) Act, which had not passed as of October 25, 2026.

What is Ontario’s minimum wage in 2026?

$17.95 an hour from October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027. The student rate (for students under 18 working limited hours) is $16.90, and the homeworker rate $19.70. The rate changes each October 1 with inflation and is announced by April 1.

When did Ontario’s pay transparency rules start?

What people call pay transparency in Ontario is the set of job posting rules in force since January 1, 2026, for employers with 25 or more employees: a pay figure or a range no wider than $50,000, disclosure of AI screening, and no Canadian experience requirement. The Pay Transparency Act, 2018 was never brought into force. Check an ad with the free job posting checker.

Can an Ontario employer ask for a doctor’s note for a sick day?

Not for the 3 days of unpaid Employment Standards sick leave, since October 28, 2024. An employer can still ask for evidence that’s reasonable in the circumstances.

Sources

This page summarizes Ontario’s rules as of October 25, 2026 for general information. It isn’t legal advice, and Prodigy Suite isn’t a law firm. Each rule links to the official source; for a specific situation, speak to an Ontario employment lawyer.

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