Ontario introducing legislation today proposing a host of measures for workers, including right-to-disconnect policies.
Labour Minister Monte McNaughton says the bill is aimed at creating conditions that will attract talented and innovative people to work in Ontario.
The legislation would require employers with 25 or more employees to develop disconnecting-from-work policies, which could include expectations about response time for emails and encouraging employees to turn on out-of-office notifications when they are not working.
McNaughton says it is especially important now, as the pandemic has blurred the lines between family time and work time.
He says the bill also proposes a ban on non-compete agreements, which often prevent workers from taking a new job in the same field after they leave that company.
It would also make it easier for immigrants to get licensed to work in professions that match their area of expertise, require temporary help agencies to be licensed, and require businesses to let delivery drivers use their washrooms.