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OntarioDid not become law (session ended)43rd Parliament, 1st Session

Bill 55 explained in plain English

Four-Day Work Week Act, 2022

Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.

At a glance

Jurisdiction
Ontario Legislature
Legislature / Parliament
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Session
43rd Parliament, 1st Session
Bill number
Bill 55
Full title
Four-Day Work Week Act, 2022
Current status
Did not become law (session ended)
Latest event
Ordered for Second Reading
Last updated
Dec 7, 2022

Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. Representative vote breakdowns appear when the Assembly publishes an Ayes and Nays page for the bill.

Chamber
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Current Stage
Ordered for Second Reading
Latest Activity
Dec 7, 2022
Plain-language explanation
In plain English (our explanation)

Our plain-language take, written for civic education.

Source: By PoliticalData.ca

AI-assisted, reviewed before publishing
Short Version

Bill 55 establishes a commission to develop recommendations for a pilot project testing a four-day work week in Ontario, which the Minister of Labour must implement within one year of receiving the commission's report.

What It Means

Bill 55, the Four-Day Work Week Act, 2022, creates a new government commission tasked with studying and recommending how to run a pilot project for a four-day work week in Ontario. The bill establishes the Four-Day Work Week Commission, which will be made up of members from different sectors of the Ontario workforce appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council. The commission's job is to develop recommendations for a pilot project where Ontario workers would work four days per week for no more than 32 hours total. The pilot project is designed to test whether a four-day work week works in Ontario for both public and private sector employees. The Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development must implement the pilot project no later than one year after receiving the commission's recommendations. The pilot project itself will run for one year. After the pilot ends, the Minister must prepare and publish a report on the Government of Ontario website with recommendations about whether Ontario should adopt a four-day work week more broadly. The bill comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.

What This Bill Does
  • Establishes the Four-Day Work Week Commission to develop recommendations for a pilot project
  • Requires the commission to include cross-sectoral representation of Ontario workers
  • Authorizes the Lieutenant Governor in Council to determine compensation and expenses for commission members
  • Requires the pilot project to involve a four-day work week with maximum 32 hours per week
  • Requires the pilot project to test the effectiveness of a four-day work week for both public and private sector employees
  • Requires the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development to implement the pilot project no later than one year after receiving the commission's report
  • Specifies that the pilot project will last for one year
  • Requires the Minister to prepare a report in consultation with the commission after the pilot ends, setting out recommendations regarding a four-day work week for Ontario
  • Requires the Minister to publish the final report on a Government of Ontario website
  • Brings the Act into force on the day of Royal Assent
Who Is Affected
  • Ontario workers in both public and private sectors (those selected to participate in the pilot project)
  • The Four-Day Work Week Commission members (appointed individuals)
  • The Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (responsible for implementing the pilot and preparing reports)
  • Ontario employers participating in the pilot project
  • The Ontario Legislature and Lieutenant Governor in Council (appropriating funds and appointing commission members)
Rights, Duties, Or Obligations
  • The Four-Day Work Week Commission must develop recommendations for implementing the pilot project within the parameters set out in the Act
  • The Minister must implement the pilot project no later than one year after receiving the commission's report
  • The pilot project must involve a four-day work week with a maximum of 32 hours per week
  • The pilot project must test effectiveness in both public and private sectors
  • The Minister must prepare a report after the pilot project concludes
  • The Minister must consult with the commission when preparing the final report
  • The final report must be published on a Government of Ontario website
Important Dates
  • The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent (dated December 7, 2022 for 1st Reading, but Royal Assent date not explicitly stated in provided text)
  • The Minister must implement the pilot project no later than one year after receiving the commission's report
  • The pilot project will run for one year
Financial Or Tax Impacts
  • Funds must be appropriated by the Ontario Legislature to pay remuneration and expenses for Four-Day Work Week Commission members (the bill states that subsection 3 does not apply unless money has been appropriated)
Uncertainties Or Limits
  • The bill does not specify which Ontario workers or sectors will be selected for the pilot project
  • The bill does not specify the exact size or composition of the Four-Day Work Week Commission
  • The bill does not specify the amount of funding available for the commission or pilot project
  • The bill does not specify what happens after the pilot project ends or whether a four-day work week would be implemented more broadly based on the commission's recommendations
  • The bill text does not explicitly state the Royal Assent date
  • It is unclear whether participation in the pilot project will be voluntary or mandatory for selected employers and workers
  • The bill does not specify what data or metrics the pilot project will measure to determine effectiveness
Laws Or Regulations Affected
Four-Day Work Week Act, 2022
created

A new Ontario law is created that establishes a commission to study and recommend how to implement a four-day work week pilot project

Source: Section 1-5

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 text

Process Snapshot

Step 1
First reading
Dec 7, 2022
Step 2
Second reading
Date not listed
Step 3
Committee review
Not reached yet
Step 4
Third reading
Not reached yet
Step 5
Royal assent
Not reached yet

Vote Summary

No published recorded division

This bill is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.

Sponsor
Bhutila Karpoche
Sponsor party or district not listed
Jurisdiction
Ontario Legislature

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