Bill 177 explained in plain English
Domestic and Sexual Violence Workplace Leave, Accommodation and Training Act, 2016
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 41st Parliament, 1st Session. Representative vote breakdowns appear when the Assembly publishes an Ayes and Nays page for the bill.
Our plain-language take, written for civic education.
Source: By PoliticalData.ca
Bill 177, the Domestic and Sexual Violence Workplace Leave, Accommodation and Training Act, 2016, would amend Ontario's Employment Standards Act and Occupational Health and Safety Act to provide leave, accommodation, and training related to domestic and sexual violence in the workplace.
This bill, called the "Domestic and Sexual Violence Workplace Leave, Accommodation and Training Act, 2016," proposes changes to Ontario's employment and health and safety laws. It aims to provide employees with rights and protections if they or their children have experienced domestic or sexual violence. Employers would be required to offer leave, make reasonable accommodations, and provide training on these issues. The bill defines what constitutes domestic and sexual violence in the context of the workplace.
- Amends the Employment Standards Act, 2000 to include definitions for "domestic violence", "intimate partner", and "sexual violence".
- Amends the Employment Standards Act, 2000 to allow employees to take leave if they or their child have experienced domestic or sexual violence.
- Specifies that such leave can be used for purposes like seeking medical attention, obtaining services from victim support organizations, relocating, or seeking legal assistance.
- Entitles employees to be paid for up to 10 days of leave in a calendar year, with pay calculated based on regular wages.
- Requires employers to provide reasonable accommodation for employees who need to adjust their work hours or workplace location due to domestic or sexual violence, unless it causes undue hardship.
- Requires employers to keep confidential any information related to an employee's leave under these provisions, with specific exceptions.
- Amends the Occupational Health and Safety Act to require employers to provide information and instruction to managers, supervisors, and workers about domestic and sexual violence in the workplace.
- Repeals and replaces Subsection 15 (7) of the Employment Standards Act, 2000 regarding the retention of documents related to leave and accommodation.
- Adds new sections to the Employment Standards Act, 2000, specifically sections 16.1 and 19.1 concerning accommodation for domestic or sexual violence, and section 49.6 regarding leave for domestic or sexual violence.
- Adds section 53.1 to the Employment Standards Act, 2000, concerning the confidentiality of information related to employee leave.
- Adds section 32.0.5.1 to the Occupational Health and Safety Act, concerning information and instruction on domestic and sexual violence.
- Employees in Ontario who experience or whose children experience domestic or sexual violence.
- Employers in Ontario.
- Managers, supervisors, and workers in Ontario workplaces.
- Employees have the right to take leave and receive accommodation if they or their children experience domestic or sexual violence.
- Employees are entitled to be paid for up to 10 days of leave annually.
- Employers are obligated to provide reasonable accommodation for employees affected by domestic or sexual violence, unless it causes undue hardship.
- Employers are obligated to provide information and instruction on domestic and sexual violence to their managers, supervisors, and workers.
- Employers must keep information about employee leave related to domestic or sexual violence confidential, with specified exceptions.
- The Act comes into force three months after the day it receives Royal Assent.
- Employees are entitled to be paid for up to 10 days of leave per calendar year. The pay is calculated based on regular wages or an average of wages for employees without regular hours.
- Employers may incur costs related to providing accommodation or training, though the bill states accommodation is not required if it causes "undue hardship," considering factors like cost and outside funding sources.
- The bill refers to "prescribed duration" and "prescribed evidence" for leave and accommodation, which would be defined in regulations not included in this text.
- The determination of "undue hardship" for employers regarding accommodation is subject to interpretation, considering cost, outside funding, and health and safety requirements.
- The bill does not specify penalties for non-compliance by employers.
- The bill does not explicitly define 'domestic violence' or 'sexual violence' beyond providing broad definitions; specific incidents or actions may be subject to interpretation.
This bill amends the Act to define domestic and sexual violence, establish employee rights to take leave and receive accommodation for experiences of domestic or sexual violence, and mandates pay for up to 10 days of leave per year. It also introduces new sections on accommodation and leave, and confidentiality of related information.
Source: Sections 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 10 of Bill 177
This bill amends the Act to require employers to ensure managers, supervisors, and workers receive information and instruction about domestic and sexual violence in the workplace.
Source: Section 2 of Bill 177
Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. It is written by PoliticalData.ca for civic education, automatically checked and spot-reviewed before publishing.
Official textProcess Snapshot
Vote Summary
This bill is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.
No published representative vote breakdown
This bill is still moving through the process. When a recorded division is published, representative positions can be listed here.
Official sources
Status, sponsor, votes, and timeline on this page are drawn from these official legislative sources and public records. Each summary above is attributed to its own source.
How this data is sourced