Ontario has had the world’s most advanced pay equity legislation for more than 30 years.  In 1987, Ontario was the first government globally to introduce a Pay Equity Act requiring employers in the public sector and employers in the private sector with more than 10 employees to provide for equal pay for work of equal value, otherwise known as “pay equity”. 

The Pay Equity Office is an Agency of the Ministry of Labour Training and Skills Development in Ontario, a Ministry that is vital to supporting a vibrant and cared for workforce across the Province.   For our part, we focus on compliance with Ontario’s Pay Equity Act, education, and outreach to close the gender wage gap.  The Pay Equity Act redresses inequalities that persist in the labour market based on the devaluation of work historically or typically done by women, or work stereotyped as “women’s work”.  Our office addresses this by making sure that work of equal value is compensated for equitably within an organization.

Pay Equity in Ontario has an interesting history you can read about at the Pay Equity Office of Ontario website.