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On January 3, 2022, the Ontario government announced a number of restrictions in response to climbing COVID-19 case numbers and increased hospitalizations. Effective January 5, 2022, the province is temporarily returning to a modified version of its previous Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen under O. Reg. 263/20. The province will return to Step Two for a minimum of 21 days (until January 26, 2022), at which point the restrictions will be evaluated.

As we ring in the new year, there are a number of legislative changes that will take effect, impacting workplaces across Canada. Below are the significant changes taking effect by January 1, 2022.

On December 7, 2021, the Government of Ontario extended the COVID-19 Worker Income Protection Benefit and the temporary amendments to the Employment Standards Act, 2000, which provided for the infectious disease emergency leave (IDEL) provisions.

In the context of the pandemic, if there is a question that employers have frequently faced, it is whether employees who decide to work remotely from Québec are covered under Québec’s Act Respecting Labour Standards, which sets out minimal conditions of work.

On November 30, 2021, the Government of Ontario passed Bill 27, the Working for Workers Act, 2021. Bill 27 amends a number of statutes, including the Employment Standards Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Act.