Starting January 2026, employers in Ontario must notify interviewed candidates of their hiring status within 45 days
Employers in Ontario will soon face a mandatory obligation to notify candidates who are interviewed for jobs about the status of their application within 45 days.
Under the “duty to inform” clause of Ontario’s new pay transparency legislation, coming into effect January 1, 2026, employers must follow up with candidates they interview for publicly advertised jobs—whether or not a hiring decision has been made. Failure to comply could lead to complaints filed with the Ministry of Labour and potential enforcement action.
“A candidate who has not been informed could notionally call up the Ministry of Labor and make a complaint,” says Allison Buchanan, counsel at Dentons Canada.
“What the ministry will do has yet to be seen, but generally what happens when there’s a complaint that is not sufficiently serious is that the employer gets a warning, and then for multiple infractions or breaches of the ESA (Employment Standards Act) they will be more likely to get financial penalty at that point.”
In practice, this clause fits into a broader campaign by the government to improve communication between employers and job seekers.
“You can see it within the larger context; it’s part of a larger mission to make the whole application process more transparent and more communicative between the employer and the candidate,” Buchanan explains.
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