September 2026 Edition

 

With dozens of pieces of HR-related legislation across Canada, it can sometimes be difficult to keep up with changes. Small adjustments may be made to certain regulations, subsections, or clauses in any jurisdiction at any time, and most may go unnoticed unless you are regularly looking for them.

More significant changes, such as amendments made to Employment Standards, are often covered by the media, and are much easier to detect.

In either case, employers should take the time, at least quarterly, to review legislation changes in their jurisdictions, and if needed, adjust their human resources policies and practices to ensure they remain compliant.

The following include brief descriptions of the changes. Contact us if you would like more information on any item listed.

If you are not certain where to find key pieces of legislation for your jurisdiction, be sure to check out our Quick Access Guide to Canadian HR Legislation.

Be sure to also check our Sick Leave and Doctor's Note Requirements Across Canada Webpage to stay up to date on changes happening across Canada.

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It is also recommended to review the June 2026 legislative update for items you may have overlooked. There were significant changes in the first half of this calendar year. For YOUR Essential HR Toolkit members, this can be found in the online repository. For all others, please contact us at welcome@tapstrategyandhr.com to request a copy.

 

While we cannot cover all elements of each piece of legislation that has recently changed, here are several important ones to be aware of:

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​​Federal (Canada Labour Code)

• Oct. 20, 2026 — Temporary help agency restrictions: federally regulated temporary help agencies will be prohibited from charging certain fees to employees or clients and from restricting employees from accepting work with a client.

• Oct. 20, 2026 — Federal equal treatment regulations: federally regulated employers should identify comparable roles across full-time, part-time and temporary employees so wage differences can be explained if the rules are finalized.

• Federal leave changes: federally regulated employers should confirm whether policies reflect new or expanded Canada Labour Code leave entitlements, including pregnancy loss leave, enhanced bereavement leave following the death of a child, and the expected adoption/surrogacy placement leave framework.

• Federal right-to-disconnect policy planning: federally regulated employers should monitor the anticipated policy requirements and identify roles where after-hours contact is expected, so response expectations can be documented if and when final rules are confirmed.

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Ontario

• Ontario Auto Insurance Reform: As of July 1, 2026, which are material for employers with fleets, especially around accident benefits and coverage elections. It is recommended that employers review their policies carefully and can affect worker-drivers and worker-passenger accident coverages. https://isure.ca/inews/ontario-auto-insurance-reforms/

• Oct. 1, 2026 — Ontario minimum wage increase: Ontario’s general minimum wage increases to $17.95 per hour, with corresponding increases to student, homeworker and guide rates; employers should update payroll, wage grids, job postings and offer templates before the first affected pay period.

• Aug. 6, 2026 — Ontario termination clauses: recent Ontario decisions, including the Court of Appeal’s decisions in Baker v. Van Dolder’s Home Team Inc. and Li v. Wayfair Canada ULC, provide helpful clarification after conflicting Superior Court rulings on “at any time” and “for any reason” language. Employers should still review termination language carefully, including without-cause, for-cause, benefits-continuation and ESA-savings wording, because enforceability continues to depend on the agreement read as a whole and on whether the clause preserves minimum ESA entitlements.

 

British Columbia

• Aug. 1, 2026 — Employment standards complaint process changes: B.C. employers should expect more structured early dispute resolution and stronger wage recovery tools, making clean payroll records, written agreements and documented responses to complaints more important.

• Nov. 1, 2026 — Pay transparency reporting: B.C. employers with 50 or more employees must prepare and post annual pay transparency reports, so compensation data, job groupings and reporting responsibility should be confirmed before the deadline.

 

Alberta

• No material employment standards change identified for this update period. Alberta employers should continue applying existing employment standards and OHS requirements; no new province-wide employer action is noted for the August 2026 to January 2027 window.

 

Manitoba

• Oct. 1, 2026 — Minimum wage increase: Manitoba’s minimum wage increases to $16.40 per hour; employers should update payroll rates, offer letters and wage grids before the first affected pay period.

• Oct. 1, 2026 — Sick note restrictions: Manitoba employers may be limited in when they can require doctor’s notes for short illness or injury absences and may have reimbursement obligations when a note is required; attendance policies and manager scripts should be updated.

 

Saskatchewan

• Jan. 1, 2026 — Employment standards amendments now in effect: Saskatchewan employers should ensure practices reflect the new calendar-day overtime option, tip protection rules, group termination threshold, sick note limits and expanded leave protections.

• Oct. 1, 2026 — Saskatchewan minimum wage increase: Saskatchewan’s minimum wage increases to $15.70 per hour; employers should update payroll, offer letters and wage grids, and confirm any reporting-for-duty pay practices remain compliant.

 

Québec

• Pay equity maintenance: Quebec employers subject to pay equity should confirm their five-year maintenance timing, documentation and posting obligations, since missed maintenance work can create retroactive wage adjustment exposure.

 

Nova Scotia

• Sept. 8, 2026 — Nova Scotia overtime amendments introduced: employers with employees working more than 44 hours per week should review schedules, overtime approvals and payroll configuration before the new threshold takes effect.

• Oct. 1, 2026 — Nova Scotia minimum wage increase: employers should update payroll to $17.00 per hour and check any wage grids, offer letters or contract rates tied to the minimum wage.

• Apr. 1, 2027 — Nova Scotia tip and gratuity amendments: employers using tip pools, tip sharing or service charges should review written rules and payroll treatment before the new protections take effect.

 

New Brunswick

• June 2026 — Pay Transparency Act passed: New Brunswick employers should prepare for salary range disclosure in job postings, salary history restrictions and pay transparency reporting for employers with 50 or more employees once commencement and regulations are finalized.

 

Newfoundland & Labrador

• Pay equity and pay transparency regulations still outstanding: Newfoundland and Labrador employers should not treat the private-sector pay transparency rules as operational yet but should begin identifying who owns job posting compensation language, salary history practices and future reporting data.

 

Prince Edward Island

• Oct. 1, 2026 — PEI minimum wage increase: Prince Edward Island’s minimum wage increases to $17.30 per hour; employers should update payroll, wage grids, posted rates and offer templates before the first affected pay period.

• June 30, 2026 — PEI Employment Standards Act — sick and medical leave: PEI employers should update leave policies and manager guidance so paid/unpaid sick leave and medical leave requests are handled under the new Act.

• June 30, 2026 — PEI Employment Standards Act — overtime: employers should confirm whether payroll and scheduling practices reflect the new overtime framework, especially for staff regularly working near the weekly threshold.

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Territories

• Northwest Territories — Sept. 1, 2026 minimum wage increase: employers should update payroll to $17.20 per hour and check any wage grids, job offers or contract rates tied to the minimum wage.

• Nunavut — Sept. 1, 2026 minimum wage increase: employers should update payroll to $20.17 per hour and confirm whether any allowances, remote work arrangements or wage scales are tied to the previous rate.

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As an employer, what actions should you take?

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• Update policies to reflect provincial regulations.

• Train managers on province-specific requirements.

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*The foregoing provides only an overview and does not constitute legal advice. Readers are cautioned against making any decisions based solely on this material alone. Rather, specific professional advice should be obtained.

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Contact TAP Strategy & HR Consulting to assist you with understanding legislation and your related obligations. TAP is a full-service HR provider.

 

 We ARE Your HR. 

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