On May 28, 2025, the Government of Ontario introduced Bill 30, the Working for Workers Seven Act, 2025.[1] The legislation was introduced just before the provincial government broke for the summer but is expected to progress through the legislative process quickly once the government sits again in mid-October.

Like its predecessors,[2] this seventh iteration of Working for Workers legislation proposes a number of significant amendments to the Employment Standards Act, 2000, the Occupational Health and Safety Act, and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997. Below are some key changes employers ought to be aware of.

1. Proposed Amendments to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (“ESA”)
   • Extended Layoffs: The ESA would be amended to allow for extended lay-offs where an employer, employee, and the Director of Employment Standards agree to it. Lay-offs may be 35 weeks or more in a period of 52 weeks, but cannot exceed 52 weeks in any period of 78 consecutive weeks. The Government of Ontario has said this change was proposed to allow parties to maintain their employment relationship in the face of tariff-related economic slowdown.[3]
   • Job-Seeking Leave: A new protected leave would be introduced for employees to engage in activities related to obtaining employment where they have been affected by a mass termination, i.e. a termination involving 50 or more employees in a rolling four-week period. The provision would allow up to three days of unpaid leave during the notice...

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