Links

Here are some helpful links for young people in relation to workplace law and other job related information. If you have a workplace law problem, the best approach is to educate yourself and obtain proactive legal advice. Knowing your rights in the workplace is the best way to protect yourself and prevent unwanted situations. This page is constantly evolving and will eventually contain information relating to workplace law in all jurisdictions in Canada; if you have any suggestions about resources that should be added, please send me an email.

Legal Assistance:

Lawyer Referral Service: this is free service offered by the Law Society of Upper Canada that will link people with a lawyer that can offer a free thirty minute consultation. Call 1-800-268-8326.

Ministry of Labour: this is the main government ministry with responsibility for employment standards, occupational health and labour relations. For employment standards issues call 1-800-531-5551 and for occupational health issues call 1-877-202-0008. The ministry has a website for young workers; furthermore, ministry staff answer questions on Facebook and Twitter. 

Human Rights Legal Support Centre: this is an independent government agency that provides free assistance to citizens regarding human rights. Call 1-866-625-5179.

Office of the Worker Advisor: this is an independent agency that provides free advice to injured non-unionized workers in workplace insurance matters. Call 1-800-435-8980.

Justice for Children and Youth: this is a specialized legal clinic focusing on providing services to low-income children and youth in the areas of education, social services and mental health. Call 1-866-999-5329.

ARCH Disability Law Centre: this is a specialized legal clinic devoted to advocating for people with disabilities. Call 1-866-482-2724.

Injured Workers' Consultants: this is a specialized legal clinic devoted to advocating for injured workers; they provide free legal advice. Call 1-416-461-2411.

Industrial Accident Victim's Group of Ontario: this is a specialized legal clinic that advocated for injured workers; they provide free legal advice. Call 1-877-230-6311.

Toronto Workers' Health & Safety Legal Clinic: this is a legal clinic focused on workplace issues related to occupational health and safety and employment standards. Call 1-416-971-8832.

Government Agencies:

Ontario Labour Relations Board: this is the main adjudicative body that hears cases arising from the Labour Relations Act, the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Employment Standards Act. Call 1-877-339-3335.

Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario: this is the main adjudicative body that hears cases arising from the Human Rights Code. Call 1-866-598-0322.

Workplace Safety and Insurance Board: this is the body that manages Ontario's workplace insurance system and other responsibilities arising from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act. Call 1-800-387-0750. The WSIB has a website for young workers.

Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal: this is the body that hears appeals arising from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act. Call 1-888-618-8846.

Other Useful Resources:

Your Legal Rights: this is a website maintained by Community Legal Education Ontario. The website has sections on employment law and human rights law with sub-sections on specific workplace law issues.

WorkSmartOntario: this is a Ministry of Labour website created for new and young workers.

Workers' Action Centre: this is a non-governmental agency in Toronto devoted to addressing the needs of workers engaged in low-wage and precarious employment. They offer excellent "know your rights" guides in a variety of languages. Call 416-531-0778.

Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities: this is the ministry overseeing post-secondary education system, employment training and labour market planning. In relation to education, the website has resources on universities, apprenticeships, community colleges and private career colleges. The website also has information about current labour market trends and Ontario Job Futures which provides predictions about labour market trends on specific occupations.

First Work: this is an umbrella group of Ontario's youth employment centres. The website has an employment centre locator and a great resource library.

Doorey's Wokplace Law Blog: this is a blog written by York University Professor David Doorey. He provides excellent analysis on a variety of workplace law issues and has culled  links to a variety of resources.

Wise Law Blog: this is a blog written by Toronto lawyer Gerry Wise. He regularly write about workplace issues issues and has a great guide on what you need to know about employment law.