Bill 69, Respecting Workers in Health Care and in Related Fields Act, 2025
Chamber
ontario
Stage
Introduced
This Ontario bill would improve pay, benefits, and job stability for personal support workers, homemakers, and other health care workers.
Key Changes
- Requires at least 70% of workers at hospitals, long-term care homes, home care agencies, or health care providers with more than 20 employees to be employed full-time and permanently
- Personal support workers must be paid at least $8.00 per hour above the minimum wage
- Personal support workers working full-time are entitled to at least 10 paid sick days per year (pro-rated for part-time workers)
- Personal support workers must receive health benefits and be enrolled in a pension plan
- Homemakers must be paid at least minimum wage for all hours worked
- Homemakers become entitled to protections under Ontario's Employment Standards Act regarding hours of work, eating periods, and overtime pay
Gotchas
- The bill directs the Minister to take 'all necessary steps, including introducing legislation if necessary,' meaning it does not itself directly change employment law — it instructs the government to act, which could involve further legislative steps
- The 70% full-time employment requirement only applies to organizations with more than 20 employees, exempting smaller providers
- Homemakers are currently excluded from Ontario's hours of work and overtime protections under the Employment Standards Act, 2000 — this bill would close that gap
- The bill comes into force one year after receiving Royal Assent, giving the government time to prepare implementing measures
- The bill is currently at First Reading, meaning it has not yet been debated or passed, and was introduced by opposition MPPs
Who's Affected
- Personal support workers in Ontario
- Homemakers employed through agencies
- Hospitals, long-term care homes, and home care agencies
- Regulated health care providers employing more than 20 people
- Patients and clients who rely on home care and long-term care services
Vibes
0 responses
Gotchas
- The bill directs the Minister to take 'all necessary steps, including introducing legislation if necessary,' meaning it does not itself directly change employment law — it instructs the government to act, which could involve further legislative steps
- The 70% full-time employment requirement only applies to organizations with more than 20 employees, exempting smaller providers
- Homemakers are currently excluded from Ontario's hours of work and overtime protections under the Employment Standards Act, 2000 — this bill would close that gap
- The bill comes into force one year after receiving Royal Assent, giving the government time to prepare implementing measures
- The bill is currently at First Reading, meaning it has not yet been debated or passed, and was introduced by opposition MPPs
Summary
Bill 69 requires Ontario's Minister of Labour to take all necessary steps — including passing new laws if needed — to improve working conditions for personal support workers, homemakers, and workers in hospitals, long-term care homes, and home care agencies. The bill sets three main goals: first, that at least 70% of workers at larger health care organizations (those with more than 20 employees) must be employed full-time and permanently; second, that personal support workers must be paid at least $8 more per hour than minimum wage, receive paid sick leave, and have access to health benefits and a pension plan; and third, that homemakers must be paid at least minimum wage and be protected by Ontario's standard rules on hours of work and overtime pay — protections they currently do not have. The bill was introduced to address worker shortages and poor working conditions in the health care sector by making these jobs more stable and financially attractive, encouraging both current workers to stay and new workers to enter the field.
Automatically generated from bill text using Claude
Vibes
0 responses