Article content

The important thing about the labour rule changes the Ontario government introduced this week is not that some workers won’t get two paid sick days, or that there won’t be new rules making it easier for shift workers to get paid for not working.

Those changes are a small negative for workers and a modest plus for businesses — but the moves that matter are on part-time pay and apprenticeships.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Randall Denley: Here's what's really important about the changes to Ontario's labour rules Back to video

The biggest thing Premier Doug Ford did, by far, is eliminating a provision that requires employers to pay part-time, casual and temporary workers the same rate as their full-time employees. Back when the provincial Liberals were on their fairness kick, it fit their theme. Never mind that full-time workers might have more experience, qualifications and commitment to the company.

Consider the impact of the Liberal plan on just one sector of our economy. Community colleges rely heavily on instructors who are not full-time because colleges like to utilize the expertise of people in the broader workforce. The College Employer Council says equalizing pay will cost colleges up to $125 million this year, rising to $300 million a year by 2024-25. Despite creating this pressure, the previous government gave colleges only minimal help in addressing it. The higher wage bill means less money to train needed workers. Under the new rules, colleges could legally lower part-time pay next year, although that won’t come without a fight.