The following industries and jobs are not covered under the Employment Standards Act (ESA):

  • individuals working under a program approved by a college of applied arts and technology or university
  • individuals working under a program that is approved by a private career college registered under the Private Career Colleges Act, 2005
  • secondary school students who work under a work experience program authorized by the school board that operates the school in which the student is enrolled
  • people who do community participation under the Ontario Works Act, 1997
  • police officers (except for the lie detectors provisions of the ESA, which do apply)
  • inmates taking part in work or rehabilitation programs, or individuals who work as part of a sentence or order of a court
  • people who hold political, judicial, religious or elected trade union offices
  • major junior ice hockey players who meet certain conditions related to scholarships
  • individuals who meet the definition of business consultant or information technology consultant under the ESA if certain conditions are met
  • employees whose jobs are regulated by federal employment laws and standards, such as:
    • airlines
    • banks
    • the federal civil service
    • post offices
    • radio and television stations
    • inter-provincial railways
    • inter-provincial trucking