#bill 124

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Ontario teachers awarded additional pay to compensate for Bill 124 | CBC News

In 2019, Bill 124 capped salary increases for Ontario public sector employees at one per cent over 3 years. It's since been ruled unconstitu

Public high school teachers and elementary teachers will get additional retroactive salary increases to compensate them for constrained wages under a law known as Bill 124.

When the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario and Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation reached new contract deals with the provincial government, they left some issues to be decided by an arbitrator.

The teachers and government agreed to an additional 0.75 per cent in each of the first two years of their previous contract in order to compensate for lost wages under Bill 124, but the amount for the third year was left to arbitration.

The unions announced today that the arbitrator has awarded an additional 2.75 per cent for the third year, amounts that are on top of the one per cent raises each year that were part of the previous contract under Bill 124.

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Tagging: @politicsofcanada

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Ford government documents admit low wages, Bill 124 worsening health staffing issues | Globalnews.ca

Briefings drafted for Ontario's minister of health, obtained by Global News through a freedom of information request, make the admission, an

Premier Doug Ford’s controversial wage restraint legislation contributed to the staffing crisis in Ontario’s health-care system, according to internal briefing documents given to the minister of health.

The admission was made in briefing notes prepared for Sylvia Jones in 2022, after she was appointed minister of health, and obtained by Global News through a freedom of information request.

They were contained in her transition binder, which is designed to inform an incoming cabinet minister of the inner workings of the ministry, decision-making frameworks and key issues the politician may be expected to handle.

One portion of the minister’s binder that dealt with “retention issues” in the health-care system stated that “concerns about wage disparity via Bill 124” were a contributing factor, along with wage disparities.

In another briefing note, the ministry acknowledged that Ontario’s health-care staffing problems worsened during the pandemic.

This is coming to light at the same time this government is appealing a court decision that threw out bill 124 and the ruling specifically cites the government decision to end license plate stickers thereby saving Canadians money as evidence that bill 124 is full of shit because the government is contradicting itself

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Ford government appeals Ontario court decision striking down Bill 124 | CBC News

The Ontario government is appealing a court decision that struck down a law limiting wages for public-sector workers.

"The Ontario government is appealing a court decision that struck down a law limiting wages for public-sector workers.

In the notice of appeal filed in Ontario's top court on Thursday, the province argues the judge erred in ruling that Bill 124 infringes on the applicants' rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining.

 In his decision on Nov. 29, Justice Markus Koehnen deemed the law unconstitutional.

Groups representing several hundred thousand public sector employees had challenged the constitutionality of the 2019 law that capped wage increases for Ontario Public Service employees as well as broader public sector workers at one per cent per year.

As part of the decision, Koehnen said Ontario has not explained why it was necessary to infringe on constitutional rights to impose wage constraints while at the same time providing tax cuts or licence plate sticker refunds more than 10 times larger than the savings from the wage-restraint measure.

The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) said it's outraged by the government's decision to appeal.

"Bill 124 has severely impacted workers' living standards and worsened issues like the staffing crisis in our overburdened health-care system," OFL president Patty Coates said in a news release.

"Right now, the Ford government should be focused on taking meaningful action to address the simultaneous cost-of-living and health care crises in this province. Instead, they are choosing to spend public dollars to fight workers in court," added Coates."

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Tagging: @politicsofcanada

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Ford government plans to appeal after Ontario court strikes down Bill 124 | CBC News

The Ford government plans to appeal an Ontario court decision striking down a law that limited wage increases for public sector workers, mor

Groups representing several hundred thousand public sector employees challenged the constitutionality of the 2019 law that capped wage increases for Ontario Public Service employees as well as broader public sector workers at one per cent per year.

Justice Markus Koehnen said the law infringes on the applicants' rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining, in a manner he called "substantial interference."

As part of the decision, Koehnen said Ontario has not explained why it was necessary to infringe on constitutional rights to impose wage constraints while at the same time providing tax cuts or licence plate sticker refunds more than 10 times larger than the savings from the wage-restraint measure.

Koehnen added he is "mindful" of an appeal court ruling that "judges ought not to see themselves as finance ministers."

Still, he said he was bound by decisions by the Supreme Court of Canada that guarantee a constitutional right to collective bargaining.

As a result, the act is "to be void and of no effect," Koehnen said.

The judge also said Ontario was free to take the position in collective bargaining that it could not pay more than one per cent in wage increases. Instead, it appears Ontario was reluctant to take that position because it could lead to strikes, the decision said.

"As noted, the right to strike is constitutionally protected," Koehnen wrote. "Although inconvenient, the right to strike is a component of a free and democratic society."

The Manitoba government very recently won their appeal in a nearly identical court case so i'm not optimistic this ruling will hold. But it'd be cool if it did

[pacificlegallawfirm]

Legal Battle Over Ontario's Bill 124: Unconstitutional Ruling and Repeal - Pacific Legal

Bill 124 Repeal! Ontario's public sector wage cap deemed unconstitutional. Learn the full story & what this means for workers. Get Legal Hel

Explore the legal battle over Ontario's Bill 124, its unconstitutional ruling, and the subsequent repeal, with in-depth analysis from Pacific Legal experts.