Blog

Legal Age of Employment in Ontario

For the following industries and workplaces, the legal age to work in Ontario is listed below: Young workers with less than five years of employment are entitled to at least two weeks of paid leave every 12 months of employment, starting from the date of employment. Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), there is a minimum age at which a child can work in Ontario. Of course, children can work in Ontario, but they have to be a certain age and there are jobs they can do without breaking the rule. As a parent, you must respect family law when caring for your children or wards and make sure they are not minors. With this in mind, find out at what age a child can legally work in Ontario. Since there is no general minimum age for work in all workplaces in Ontario, it is not surprising that there has been some confusion among employers. To help you navigate this tricky part of Ontario`s labour laws, we`ve created a quick guide to the legal working age in Ontario. In this guide, we cover: None (18 years to sell tobacco products; 19 years old can “call” the sale of alcoholic beverages in the course of their employment in a pharmacy or grocery store if there is at least one other employee on the authorized site who is twenty-one years of age or older) – In British Columbia, Children may work before the age of 12, with the permission of the Director of Labour Standards, who sets the terms and conditions of employment. Between the ages of 12 and 14, parental consent is sufficient, provided that the employer respects certain restrictions (for example, no work during school hours). The province allows work on school days, but no more than four hours. Your job will not be terminated if you are “temporarily dismissed”. The legal working age is the legal age required for a person in any country or jurisdiction if they have not reached the age of majority. Activities that are dangerous or harmful to health, or that may affect the morale of minors, fall into this category.

All children between the ages of 6 and 18 are required to attend school. As a result, employers are not allowed to employ children under the age of 16 during school hours. In the meantime, children between the ages of 14 and 17 must be exempted from attending school under certain provisions of Ontario`s Education Act if the employment is related to supervised alternative learning programs that may include employment. See Ontario Regulation 374/10, Supervised Alternative Learning and Other School Attendance Excuses. In any case, parents must refer to family law provisions when their children choose to work. In Canada, various laws contain restrictions on the employment of young people. They aim to ensure the priority of education and to keep young people in school during the years of acquisition of basic skills. It also aims to protect the development of young people (their growth as well as their character development) as well as their health and safety. At the federal level, the Canada Labour Code allows youth under the age of 17 to work only if they are not required to attend school in accordance with their usual province, if the work to be performed does not fall into a prohibited category (e.g.

underground mining) and if they do not endanger their health and safety. It is also forbidden to let them work between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. Other regulations regulate certain sectors, such as merchant shipping or explosives facilities. It is also important to note that some employers set their own minimum wage guidelines for work. For example, you could legally hire 16-year-olds to work at your company, but you could implement a policy requiring employees to be at least 18 years of age or older. Some special programs and benefits, such as seniors` rebates or youth employment programs, exist to meet real age-related needs. However, if you are treated differently unjustifiably because of your age, that is ageism.

Some employers require you to pay for work uniforms or other items as a condition of employment. You can only deduct the cost of the uniform or other items from your salary if you agree in writing. You should ask your employer about the special requirements before accepting a job. According to the Education Act, children are generally required to attend school between the ages of 6 and 18. Employers are also prohibited from employing children under the age of 16 during school hours. However, the Education Act contains a list of legal exceptions to these requirements. For example, children aged 14 and older may be exempted from school or attend school only part-time to participate in supervised alternative learning programs that may include employment. See Ontario Regulation 374/10, Supervised Alternative Learning and Other School Attendance Excuses. If you have worked for an employer for at least five years, you may also be entitled to severance pay when your employment ends.

You may be eligible for severance pay if your employment ends and: The legal age to work in Ontario is one thing, but did you know that there is also a legal age for certain jobs in the province? With few exceptions, Ontario`s Education Act states that children must attend school until age 18 and employers are prohibited from employing children under the age of 16 during school hours. In other words, someone 15 can legally work in your pizzeria, but not at 11 a.m. A Tuesday when the school is in session. Minimum age for employment in Canada: different regulations in different provinces If you are unable to recover wages owed by an employer, please contact the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development to apply. If you believe your employer has violated your employment rights, you must take legal action within two years of the alleged incident(s). You must now be at least 16 years old to work in Saskatchewan. Prior to May 2009, only five sectors had a minimum age for hiring youth: hotels, restaurants, schools, hospitals and retirement homes. The new legislation aims to promote school education while giving young people some work experience.

However, under certain conditions, 14-year-olds may work: with the consent of their parents or guardians, with occupational health and safety training, no later than 10 p.m. if they have school the next day before school begins on a school day and more than 16 hours during a school week. In addition, the new law will continue to restrict the employment of youth in casinos, in the sale, handling or service of alcohol and in certain high-risk occupations. Whether you operate an ice cream truck or an auto repair shop, this guide will tell you everything you need to know about the legal working age in Ontario. For example, a restaurant`s kitchen would be considered a factory, meaning the legal working age is 15. However, keeping a cash register at the front of the restaurant would be considered a retail job, meaning the legal working age is only 14. If you have worked for five years or more, you are entitled to at least three weeks of leave for every 12 months of employment. However, as noted earlier, the legal age to work in Ontario varies by industry and workplace.

Some jobs are riskier or require more specialized skills. As a result, some industries, such as construction and mining, require employees to be over the age of 14. This resource does not replace the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) and its regulations and should not be used or considered as legal advice. Health and safety inspectors enforce these laws and enforce them based on the facts they establish in the workplace. If you run a business that employs a lot of young people, you need to know the legal age to work in Ontario.