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The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) is reviewing the Employment Standards Act(the Act).
The realities of work have changed since the last time the Act was comprehensively reviewed. A thorough review of the Act is needed to ensure efficiency, understanding, and compliance. The legislation also requires review to make sure that it’s on par with the minimum standards of employment in other Canadian jurisdictions.
The GNWT was looking for feedback on topics such as:
Whether NWT workers should be entitled to legislated paid sick leave
Protection of gig workers and “dependent contractors”
Flexible work arrangements
Types of job-protected leave available to employees
Statutory holidays and vacation pay
Have Your Say
NWT workers, employers and residents were invited to provide feedback on the Act between April and June 2023. A total of 323 individuals participated, representing employers and employees subject to the Act; labour, employer, and non-governmental organizations; Indigenous governments and Indigenous organizations; NWT community governments; adjudicators appointed under the Act; GNWT employees; and NWT residents. The engagement included surveys, roundtable discussions, and written submissions.
Background
The Employment Standards Actand Regulations establish the minimum standards of employment in the NWT for hours of work, overtime pay, minimum wage, vacation pay, statutory holidays, job-protected leave, notice requirements for termination of employment, and payment of wages.
The Act applies to most employees and employers that perform work in the NWT. The Act does not apply to federal government employees, GNWT employees or workers in federally regulated industries such as airlines, banks and most telecommunications operations.
First Nations band councils, Indigenous governments, and Indigenous organizations may be federally regulated; main band council activities, such as overall band administration and governance, typically fall under federal jurisdiction. Whether or not an employer is federally regulated is determined on a case-by-case basis.
Next Steps
The results of this engagement have been summarized in a What We Heard Report. This report will inform the development of a legislative proposal for a bill that would amend the Employment Standards Act. Once finalized, the legislative proposal will be brought to the Legislative Assembly and considered by MLAs.
The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) is reviewing the Employment Standards Act(the Act).
The realities of work have changed since the last time the Act was comprehensively reviewed. A thorough review of the Act is needed to ensure efficiency, understanding, and compliance. The legislation also requires review to make sure that it’s on par with the minimum standards of employment in other Canadian jurisdictions.
The GNWT was looking for feedback on topics such as:
Whether NWT workers should be entitled to legislated paid sick leave
Protection of gig workers and “dependent contractors”
Flexible work arrangements
Types of job-protected leave available to employees
Statutory holidays and vacation pay
Have Your Say
NWT workers, employers and residents were invited to provide feedback on the Act between April and June 2023. A total of 323 individuals participated, representing employers and employees subject to the Act; labour, employer, and non-governmental organizations; Indigenous governments and Indigenous organizations; NWT community governments; adjudicators appointed under the Act; GNWT employees; and NWT residents. The engagement included surveys, roundtable discussions, and written submissions.
Background
The Employment Standards Actand Regulations establish the minimum standards of employment in the NWT for hours of work, overtime pay, minimum wage, vacation pay, statutory holidays, job-protected leave, notice requirements for termination of employment, and payment of wages.
The Act applies to most employees and employers that perform work in the NWT. The Act does not apply to federal government employees, GNWT employees or workers in federally regulated industries such as airlines, banks and most telecommunications operations.
First Nations band councils, Indigenous governments, and Indigenous organizations may be federally regulated; main band council activities, such as overall band administration and governance, typically fall under federal jurisdiction. Whether or not an employer is federally regulated is determined on a case-by-case basis.
Next Steps
The results of this engagement have been summarized in a What We Heard Report. This report will inform the development of a legislative proposal for a bill that would amend the Employment Standards Act. Once finalized, the legislative proposal will be brought to the Legislative Assembly and considered by MLAs.
This is the Employee and Community Member survey, a survey for employers is available here.
The survey is divided into 18 sections and should take 15-20 minutes to complete. The first section gathers demographic information that will help us analyze the responses to the following sections. This demographic information will not be used to identify specific individuals.
Feel free to skip any questions or sections that do not apply to your situation or that you would prefer not to answer.
Privacy Notice All personal information contained in this survey is collected under the authority of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act Section 40(c)(i) and is used for the purposes of informing potential amendments to the Northwest Territories’ employment standards legislation, policies, and procedures. Section 43 of the Act allows a public body to use the personal information for the purpose for which it was collected or a use consistent for that purpose. Annual or statistical reporting would be considered consistent use. Any questions relating to the collection and use of personal information in this survey may be directed to Haley Mathisen, Manager, Employment Standards at 1-888-700-5707.
Share Employee or Community Member Survey on FacebookShare Employee or Community Member Survey on TwitterShare Employee or Community Member Survey on LinkedinEmail Employee or Community Member Survey link
This is the Employer survey, a survey for employees and community members is available here.
The survey is divided into 18 sections and should take 15-20 minutes to complete. The first section gathers demographic information that will help us analyze the responses to the following sections. This demographic information will not be used to identify specific organizations or individuals.
Feel free to skip any questions or sections that do not apply to your situation or that you would prefer not to answer.
Privacy Notice All personal information contained in this survey is collected under the authority of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act Section 40(c)(i) and is used for the purposes of informing potential amendments to the Northwest Territories’ employment standards legislation, policies, and procedures. Section 43 of the Act allows a public body to use the personal information for the purpose for which it was collected or a use consistent for that purpose. Annual or statistical reporting would be considered consistent use. Any questions relating to the collection and use of personal information in this survey may be directed to Haley Mathisen, Manager, Employment Standards at 1-888-700-5707.
Share Employer Survey on FacebookShare Employer Survey on TwitterShare Employer Survey on LinkedinEmail Employer Survey link
Status
Completed
Employment Standards Act review is currently at this stage
