About the Act

The Protecting a Sustainable Public Sector for Future Generations Act, 2019 passed on November 7, 2019.

This legislation enables the government to manage public sector compensation growth in a fair and reasonable way, respecting taxpayers’ dollars while protecting front-line services.

The government’s approach does not:

  • impose a wage freeze, rollback or job cuts
  • impede the collective bargaining process
  • impact existing collective agreements.

Additionally, Ontario’s public sector employees will still be able to receive salary increases for seniority, performance, or increased qualifications as they do currently.

Why it matters

  • $72 b+
    is spent every year on public sector wages, roughly half of government’s spending
  • 1%
    increase in wages results in approximately $720 million in additional costs
  • Over 1m
    people work in Ontario’s public sector, including schools, hospitals, colleges, universities and more

Where the legislation applies

This legislation applies to bargaining and non-bargaining employees, managers and leaders across Ontario’s public sector, including:

  • school boards
  • colleges and universities
  • hospitals
  • not-for-profit long-term care homes
  • children’s aid societies
  • transfer payment recipients who received more than $1 million in annual funding in 2018
  • the Ontario Public Service
  • authorities, boards, commissions, corporations, offices or organizations where a majority of directors, members or officers are appointed or chosen by the province (including Ontario Power Generation, Independent Electricity System Operator and Ornge)

Where the legislation does not apply

The legislation does not apply to:

  • municipalities (including municipal authorities, corporations, boards or municipal long-term care homes)
  • Indigenous communities (and Indigenous community-run organizations)
  • the Ontario Medical Association Physician Services Agreement
  • for-profit organizations
  • broader public sector executives covered by the Broader Public Executive Compensation Act, 2014.

Learn more