Labour ministry to reduce number of inspectors probing workplace abuse, union memo reveals
(The Star Toronto Raptors)

The Ministry of Labour is aiming to reduce the number of inspectors tasked with investigating workplace abuses, according to an internal union bulletin obtained by the Star.A government hiring freeze instituted last year already slowed plans to double the ministry’s complement of employment standards officers, introduced under the Liberals in 2017 through Bill 148. That legislation mandated hiring 175 new officers. Around 75 were hired before the Liberals were voted out and the hiring freeze announced.Now, the ministry “wants to reduce the number of officers to the pre-Bill 148 levels,� according to a May memo from the Ontario Public Sector Employees Union to its members. “The employer has come up with a plan to reduce numbers through attrition within the next three years.�Minister of Labour spokesperson Christine Bujold did not answer a direct question on specific numbers, but said the ministry was “not proposing any involuntary reductions in Employment Standards Officers.�She said a shift to “digital service delivery� would help “reduce claims by workers as employers are given digital tools to ensure compliance.�“This shift will allow Ministry of Labour inspectors to focus on high-risk employers,� she said. This year’s provincial budget cut $11 million from the ministry’s budget. New employer self-audit tools will “modernize and streamline� enforcement efforts by helping employers to “educate themselves� on their workplace obligations, the ministry has said.Employment standards officers investigate complaints and inspect workplaces for issues like failing to pay minimum wage, overtime, or public holiday pay. They do not deal with health and safety issues. A 2016 report by two independent experts commissioned by the Ministry of Labour to review the province’s workplace standards found that Ontario faces “serious� and extensive ...