Ontario Minister of Labour David Piccini and the Ford Government this week introduced Working for Workers Seven Act, 2025, which builds on progress from its previous sixActs, by introducing new measures to protect workers in the face of U.S. tariffs, create safer workplaces for a stronger workforce and fight worker abuse.
While the act contains many elements significant to Ontario workers and businesses, it includes a clear signal to the Ontario trucking industry that the province is serious about protecting workers. New measures would authorize the WSIB to impose penalties on employers who provide false or misleading statements in connection with claims, fail to keep and produce accurate payroll records or evade WSIB premiums.
To support this, Working for Workers Seven will also create a new offence for not paying WSIB premiums and increasing fines for employers convicted of two or more counts of the same offence in the same legal proceeding under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997.
“The Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) applauds Minister Piccini for introducing these critical measures to enhance protections for workers across the province,” said Stephen Laskowski, president and CEO of the Ontario Trucking Association. “Strengthening compliance with the WSIB is a significant step toward ensuring all employers meet their responsibilities and workers receive the support they deserve. These actions help level the playing field for law-abiding businesses and reinforce Ontario’s commitment to fair and safe workplaces.”
“With these measures, Ontario is clearly establishing itself as the national leader in the fight against Driver Inc. and the misclassification of workers.”
These efforts by the Province of Ontario come on the heels of the joint announcement between the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and the Labour Program at ESDC for a new Information Sharing Arrangement (ISA) to facilitate inspections and enforcement in the federally regulated trucking sector.
The Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) is quoted in the official government release on the Bill and members can view the full announcement here.