Complying with the Pay Equity Act is not just a legal obligation, but an advantageous strategy that positions a business with a positive brand reputation. Having a poor reputation can be detrimental to a business’ customer base and profits. By communicating compliance with pay equity and other inclusive practices, companies can improve their brand reputation and increase profits.

Pay equity has organizational and economic benefits. When organizations comply with the Pay Equity Act and adopt other equitable workplace practices, they are better equipped to retain talent, reduce turnover costs, and foster more diverse and inclusive workplaces, positioning them for stronger financial outcomes. 

Attracting and retaining the right talent remains a key challenge facing employers in Canada. This is where pay equity comes in. While it is a legal requirement for many employers in Ontario, pay equity can also reflect an employer’s commitment to equitable compensation practices, which plays a key role in attracting and retaining the right talent in a competitive labour market.

With the deadline for Canadians to contribute to their RRSP for the 2025 tax year approaching on March 2, 2026, the concerning 17% gender pension gap highlights that women deserve policies that make their retirement contributions count.

Employers of skilled trades workers are struggling to find the workforce required to complete their projects, causing delays and millions in lost revenue. There’s one way to address this: widen the talent pool by including more women in skilled trades. It’s been well documented and discussed that women’s lack of participation in the skilled trades is a significantly costly labour gap, considering the high labour demand across several industries.

On International Equal Pay Day, the Ontario Pay Equity Office released a new publication: Theory of Change for Achieving Equal Pay for Work of Equal Value. Developed as a knowledge-sharing contribution for the Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC), this strategic framework outlines seven key drivers of the gender pay gap and showcases global best practices to close it.

The gender pension gap in Canada measures the gender difference in combined income from Canada’s 3-pillar system of retirement income instruments: Old Age Security/Guaranteed Income Supplement, Canada Pension Plan/Quebec Pension Plan and private pensions (including RRSP/RRIF income). 

Women appear to be more action-oriented and solution-driven when it comes to climate change. But for climate action to be impactful, inclusive and meaningful, we must address the systemic barriers that prevent women from entering careers in STEM.

On World Cities Day we reflect on the ways women across Ontario are uniquely impacted by the gender wage gap. The gender wage gap persists in Ontario, no matter how it is measured. The hourly wage gap sits at 13 percent as of 2022, only six percentage points less than 1998; this means that, on an hourly basis, women make 87 cents on average for every dollar made by a man. While the gap persists it varies by sector, sub sector, and even geography.

The Pay Equity Office is pleased to offer a new resource for compensation specialists, unions, legal professionals, and others who are interested in learning more about pay equity law in Ontario. The Selected Case Reference Guide is an annotated version of the Pay Equity Act with a curated selection of relevant tribunal and court caselaw presented alongside the section of the Act that it applies to.

International Equal Pay Day, recognized by the United Nations and observed on September 18, acknowledges the crucial need for society to address ongoing efforts to achieve equal pay for equal work. This year, it comes on the heels of a blockbuster summer for women’s economic power in show business.