Bill 30 explained in plain English
Working for Workers Seven Act, 2025
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 44th 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 30 amends multiple Ontario employment, labour, and planning statutes to strengthen worker protections, introduce administrative penalties for non-compliance, expand lay-off rules, and exempt certain training and skills development projects from planning requirements.
Bill 30, the Working for Workers Seven Act, 2025, makes changes to seven Ontario laws. It creates new rights for workers facing layoffs, including job-seeking leave, and allows employers and employees to agree to extended temporary layoffs under certain conditions. The bill requires job posting platforms to have systems to report fraudulent job postings. It strengthens penalties for workplace safety violations and false statements to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, including administrative penalties and higher fines. It allows the Ontario government to make rules limiting how Toronto and other municipalities can regulate certain training and skills development projects. The bill also amends planning laws to exempt certain training-focused building projects from planning approval requirements, and includes changes to how occupational health and safety management systems are treated and how defibrillators in workplaces are reimbursed. Most changes take effect on the day the bill receives Royal Assent (November 27, 2025), though some provisions may be delayed by government order.
- Introduces job-seeking leave: Employees facing termination (when 50+ employees receive notice) get up to three unpaid days off to search for jobs, attend interviews, or pursue training.
- Permits extended lay-offs: Employers and non-unionized employees can agree to lay-offs of 35 or more weeks (but less than 52 weeks) in a 52-week period, if approved by the labour ministry Director.
- Requires fraud reporting on job posting platforms: Online job posting platforms must have a mechanism for users to report fraudulent job postings and post a written policy on handling such postings.
- Introduces administrative penalties under occupational health and safety law: Inspectors can issue notices imposing financial penalties for violations, with amounts set by regulation.
- Strengthens penalties for workplace insurance violations: Adds administrative penalties for employers who fail to pay premiums or make false statements to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.
- Increases maximum criminal penalties: Raises the maximum fine for certain offences to $750,000 per conviction when there are multiple convictions in the same proceeding.
- Exempts training and skills projects from planning rules: Projects funded by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development for training or skills development purposes may be exempt from provincial planning laws and certain Toronto regulations.
- Limits municipal regulation of training projects: Allows the Ontario government to impose limits or conditions on how cities and municipalities regulate training and skills development projects.
- Amends occupational health and safety management systems: Clarifies that accredited health and safety management systems are treated as equivalent for regulatory purposes.
- Provides defibrillator cost reimbursement: The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board may reimburse eligible employers for the cost of defibrillators required in workplaces.
- Expands immigration inspection powers: Immigration inspectors can now require individuals to attend in-person interviews separately from other persons.
- Revises lay-off definitions: Changes how lay-offs are defined for employees without regular work schedules, with new regulatory power to set specific rules.
- Employees: Gain job-seeking leave rights and protection under extended lay-off provisions; covered under new fraud protections in job postings.
- Employers: Face new administrative penalties and increased fines for occupational health and safety violations, failure to pay insurance premiums, and making false statements to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board; may benefit from defibrillator cost reimbursement.
- Job posting platforms: Must implement fraud reporting mechanisms and written policies on fraudulent job postings.
- Cities and municipalities: Face limits on their regulatory power over training and skills development projects funded by the Ministry of Labour.
- Workplace Safety and Insurance Board: Gains authority to impose administrative penalties and reimburse defibrillator costs.
- Immigration inspectors and officers: Gain authority to conduct separate in-person interviews during inspections.
- Project developers: Training and skills development projects funded by the Ministry of Labour may be exempt from planning approval and certain municipal regulations.
- Job-seeking leave entitlement: Employees who receive termination notice (when 50+ employees are terminated) are entitled to up to three unpaid days off during their notice period to seek employment (Section 50.3 of Employment Standards Act).
- Extended lay-off agreements: Employers and non-unionized employees may agree in writing to lay-offs of 35+ weeks in a 52-week period (but not 52+ weeks in 78 weeks) if the Director approves (Section 66.1 of Employment Standards Act).
- Job posting platform obligations: Operators must have a mechanism to report fraudulent postings, display it prominently, maintain a written policy on fraudulent postings, and keep records for three years (Section 8.7 of Employment Standards Act).
- Employer obligations regarding lay-off records: Employers must keep copies of extended lay-off agreements for three years after the lay-off approval expires (Section 15(10) of Employment Standards Act).
- Prohibition on false statements: Employers are prohibited from making false or misleading statements to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board regarding benefit claims (Section 22.2 of Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997).
- Occupational health and safety compliance: Employers must comply with administrative penalty notices issued by inspectors or face additional enforcement (Part IX.1 of Occupational Health and Safety Act).
- Workplace defibrillator requirement: Employers may be required to equip workplaces with defibrillators, and may apply for reimbursement of costs from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (Section 22.0.1 of Occupational Health and Safety Act, as amended).
- Royal Assent date: November 27, 2025 (noted in bill metadata and bill text).
- General commencement: Most provisions come into force on the day the bill receives Royal Assent (November 27, 2025).
- Delayed commencement for defibrillator reimbursement rules: Section 3(2) of Schedule 4 (defibrillator reimbursement provisions) comes into force on a day to be named by order of the Lieutenant Governor in Council.
- Conditional commencement for job posting fraud rules: Sections 1 and 2 of Schedule 2 and subsection 3(2) come into force on the later of: (a) the day subsection 2(1) of Schedule 2 to the Working for Workers Four Act, 2024 comes into force, or (b) the day this Act receives Royal Assent.
- Defibrillator reimbursement: The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board may reimburse eligible employers for defibrillator costs, with maximum amounts and criteria to be set by regulation (Section 22.0.1 of Occupational Health and Safety Act).
- Administrative penalties: Employers must pay prescribed amounts (to be set by regulation) to the Minister of Finance for occupational health and safety violations and to the Board for insurance-related violations.
- Increased fine amounts: Maximum fines for certain workplace insurance violations increase to $750,000 per count for multiple convictions in the same proceeding.
- No cost to employees: Job-seeking leave is unpaid, so no wage impact on employers beyond lost labour during leave periods.
- No direct cost to government mentioned: The bill does not specify direct costs to the Ontario government, though administrative costs for the Board and inspectorates may increase.
- Administrative penalties for occupational health and safety violations: Inspectors may impose penalties set by regulation; amounts determined according to prescribed criteria; notices must include details of the contravention and penalty amount (Part IX.1, Occupational Health and Safety Act).
- Review and enforcement of administrative penalties: A person may request a review, but payment is owed to the Minister of Finance; unpaid penalties are a debt due to the Crown and may be recovered (Part IX.1, Occupational Health and Safety Act).
- Administrative penalties for Workplace Safety and Insurance violations: Employers who fail to pay premiums or make false statements must pay prescribed amounts to the Board (Sections 22.2, 80(3), 89(4) of Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997).
- Increased maximum fine for multiple convictions: For employers convicted of two or more counts of the same offence in the same legal proceeding, the maximum fine is $750,000 per conviction (Section 158(1.1) of Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997).
- Aggravating factors for sentencing: Courts must consider prior convictions, multiple convictions in the same proceeding, and prior non-compliance history when determining penalties for employer defendants (Section 158(3) of Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997).
- Double penalty rules: Administrative penalties are in addition to any criminal penalties imposed by courts (Sections 22.2(2), 80(3), 89(4) of Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997).
- Restitution orders: Courts may order employers convicted of failing to pay premiums to pay all amounts owed for the period before conviction (Section 152.1(2) of Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997).
- Protection from dual prosecution: If an administrative penalty is paid under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the person cannot be charged with an offence for the same contravention (Part IX.1, Occupational Health and Safety Act).
- Defibrillator reimbursement program start date: The reimbursement program is not in effect until the Lieutenant Governor in Council names a commencement day; the timing is uncertain.
- Job posting platform definition: The definition excludes platforms meeting criteria 'as may be prescribed,' meaning future regulations may expand or narrow the scope of affected platforms.
- Lay-off rules for variable-hour employees: Rules for determining lay-offs for employees without regular work weeks are to be set by regulation; specific details are not in the bill.
- Administrative penalty amounts: The bill does not specify the amounts of administrative penalties; these are to be set by regulation, creating uncertainty about the financial impact.
- Training and skills project exemptions: The exemption from planning laws is subject to regulations; the Lieutenant Governor in Council may limit or eliminate the exemption by regulation.
- Greenbelt Area exemption limits: The bill does not define the 'Greenbelt Area' or specify its boundaries.
- Extended lay-off approval process: The bill does not detail the criteria the Director uses to approve extended lay-offs.
- Job-seeking leave trigger: The bill states the leave applies when '50 or more employees receive notice of termination' but does not clarify whether this means 50+ notices in a single event or cumulatively.
- Defibrillator cost limits: The bill authorizes regulations to set 'maximum amounts that may be paid' but does not specify the limits.
- Non-application of complaints process: The bill states that no complaints may be filed regarding job posting platform fraud requirements, but the practical enforcement mechanism is unclear.
- Regulation-making delegation: The bill allows certain regulation-making powers under the Ontario Immigration Act, 2015 to be delegated to the Minister, but the scope and process are not detailed.
Adds job-seeking leave provisions, permits extended lay-offs under Director approval, requires job posting platforms to report fraudulent postings and maintain written policies, and clarifies lay-off definitions for variable-hour employees.
Source: Schedule 2
Adds a new administrative penalty system allowing inspectors to issue penalty notices; defines defibrillators and provides for cost reimbursement through the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board; clarifies that accredited health and safety management systems are treated as equivalents.
Source: Schedule 4
Prohibits employers from making false or misleading statements to the Board regarding benefit claims and adds administrative penalties for this violation and for late premium payments; increases maximum fines to $750,000 per conviction for multiple counts of the same offence; identifies aggravating factors for sentencing.
Source: Schedule 7
Authorizes the Ontario government to make regulations that limit or restrict the City's power to regulate certain training and skills development projects funded by the Ministry of Labour; allows the City's bylaws to be overridden by such regulations.
Source: Schedule 1
Authorizes the Ontario government to make regulations that limit or restrict municipalities' power to regulate certain training and skills development projects funded by the Ministry of Labour; allows municipal bylaws to be overridden by such regulations.
Source: Schedule 3
Exempts projects involving training or skills development funded by the Ministry of Labour from Planning Act requirements and certain Toronto Act requirements, except in the Greenbelt Area; provides regulation-making power to modify or apply these exemptions.
Source: Schedule 6
Allows immigration inspectors to require persons to attend in-person interviews separately from other persons during inspections; adjusts delegation of regulation-making powers to the Minister.
Source: Schedule 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 textProcess Snapshot
Vote Summary
This bill does not have a published recorded division in the current official sources, so representative-by-representative vote counts are not shown.
No published representative vote breakdown
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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.
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