The Government of Ontario intends to introduce legislation to end mandatory retirement. In preparation for the legislation, the Ministry of Labour has released a consultation paper designed to promote discussion and gather public input on the issue of mandatory retirement. Among other things, the paper asks Ontarians to consider:
- Would ending mandatory retirement reduce skills shortages in areas such as nursing, teaching or skilled trades?
- Would ending mandatory retirement affect pensions and other benefits?
- What impact would ending mandatory retirement have on recent entrants to the workforce, or those who take time away from it?
Public consultations led by Kevin Flynn, the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Labour, will be held across the province during the month of September.
Although a number of Provinces are abolishing, or have abolished mandatory retirement, mandatory retirement is still lawful in British Columbia. The issue, however, has been the subject of several recent arbitration awards and court decisions in British Columbia, and the state of the law regarding the validity of mandatory retirement is very much in flux.