Businesses propose education on Labour Act: labour minister stopped in Sudbury to discuss Changing Workplaces Review, chamber members concerned about added regulation.

• Author: Myers, Ella
• Position: NEWS

Workplaces are changing, and the province is asking whether regulations should change to address them.

But some Sudbury businesses are questioning the current review.

"Is it necessary?" asked Geoff Jeffery, a labour and employment lawyer in Sudbury, who's on the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce's board of directors. "It's unclear to us that there needs to be significant changes."

The Changing Workplaces Review released an interim report in July, and presented a range of options for advisors to amend Ontario's 1995 Labour Relations Act and and the 2000 Employment Standards Act. Flynn said a review is "overdue."

The primary focus of the report is the rise of precarious employment, which includes temporary, contract, or part-time positions. It said the rate of temporary work has been rising 3.5 per cent a year.

Labour Minister Kevin Flynn travelled to Sudbury in January to address the review at a Sudbury chamber event.

"[Premier Kathleen Wynne's] mandate to me was to look at the realities of working today," said Flynn.

However, Jeffery is worried added regulation could could burden employers financially and bureaucratically.

He said that added regulation is often seen as "anti-employer."

Jeffery is especially worried the burden created by increased regulation could disproportionately impact small businesses.

"A one-size-fits-all model doesn't work for business in Ontario," said Jeffery. "It doesn't reflect the differing nature of businesses in communities. It makes surviving in a difficult economy even more difficult."

What Jeffery said he and other chamber members would like to see is more education rather than enforcement.

"The existing laws are quite fine; you should trust Ontario employers and employees to negotiate the terms of employment," said Jeffery.

However, Jeffery acknowledged that the review seems intent on supporting business.

Flynn emphasized that their mandate is to ensure any changes don't negatively impact the competitiveness of Ontario in the global economy.

A review doesn't...