There were a number of extremely significant, even game-changing new legal developments directly affecting employment, HR operations and workplaces across Canada in 2022. Of course, we say the same thing almost every year. However, as we engage in our annual exercise of stepping back and making a big-picture review of what happened in HR compliance during the previous year, there’s one thing that stands out. It’s something unusual, too. What makes 2022 so different from  other HR compliance years is where the action took place. In a typical year, the big changes tend to be spread out among the various jurisdictions. But in 2022, just about all the difference making new laws came from a single province: Ontario.

While Ontario perennially is among the most active for legislation—you can count on the province to pass one big employment reform bill almost every year—this year’s Ontario legislative package was much bigger and impactful than usual. In addition to the Bill 88 blockbuster, Ontario was the scene of some of Canada’s most significant employment-related court rulings. And all the signs suggest that there’s more to come in 2023.

Ontario’s Conservative regime likes to pass legislation to “cut red tape” for businesses affecting multiple aspects of operations, including employment and labour. More often than not, these red tape-cutting bills peel back pro-labour changes enacted during the predecessor Liberal government’s administration or implement other revisions that are friendly to management. But 2022 was completely different, with almost all of the new employment legislation favouring employees.

In addition to the two massive employment reform laws, Bill 27 and Bill 88, there were some pivotal court cases involving HR issues in Ontario during 2022. Download the Yearbook and find out what we believe to be the 3 most significant of these rulings and their compliance implications for you and your company.