About the Pay Equity Commission
The Pay Equity Commission is composed of two separate and distinct bodies: the Pay Equity Office and the Pay Equity Hearings Tribunal.
The Pay Equity Office offers information to help employers and employees understand their rights and responsibilities under the Pay Equity Act.
The Pay Equity Office also investigates complaints alleging contravention of the Pay Equity Act. Staff of the Office attempt to help parties resolve their dispute on their own; where the parties are unable to reach agreement, staff of the Office will resolve the dispute by issuing an Order or Notice of Decision.
Where the Office issues an Order or Notice of Decision, a party may appeal the Order or Decision to the Pay Equity Hearings Tribunal, which has exclusive jurisdiction to determine all questions of fact or law that arise in any matter before it. The decisions of the Tribunal are final and conclusive for all purposes.
Our Mandate
Our Mandate The Pay Equity Office promotes gender economic equality by administering Ontario’s Pay Equity Act.
The purpose of the Act is to eliminate pay inequity between women and men who perform work that is of comparable value to their organization.
The Act applies to all public sector organizations in Ontario, and to private sector organizations with 10 or more employees.
Our Services
Our ServicesThe Office fulfils its mandate through a range of services and activities, including:
- Investigating complaints from employees or employers regarding alleged contraventions of the Pay Equity Act and, where appropriate, issuing Orders for compliance;
- Offering information to the general public about the requirements of the Pay Equity Act; and
- Monitoring workplaces for compliance with the Pay Equity Act and, where appropriate, referring matters to the Pay Equity Hearings Tribunal for further enforcement.
Governance
The Pay Equity Commissioner is the head of the Office and is appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council. The Commissioner is accountable to the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development for the fulfilment of the Office’s mandate, and the Minister in turn is accountable to Cabinet and the Legislature.
Meet Ontario’s Pay Equity Commissioner – Kadie Ward
Ms. Ward is a seasoned executive whose career to date has been characterized by successful collaboration across public, private and civil society organizations to design and deliver inclusive economic growth strategies that engage traditionally marginalized populations and provide equal opportunities for all to participate in the labour market and ultimately contribute to the economic health of their community.
Her expertise has taken her around the world working with legislators to establish programs and legislation to support women-led micro and small enterprises as well as women’s participation in the economy. Ms. Ward assumes her new role at the Pay Equity Commission having most recently worked with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to implement aspects of the Federal Government’s “Feminist International Assistance Policy” where her work focused on increasing women’s participation in the labour market as well as equitable participation of men and women in their local economy and democracy.
With an MA from Western University and an MBA from the Kellogg-Schulich School of Business conferred upon her by both York University and Northwestern University, Commissioner Ward has experience not only interpreting and applying legislation and their related governing acts and legal processes, but also contributing to their design and delivery in Ontario, Canada, and abroad.
Vision: Making the world a more equitable place for women to work, live, and thrive.
Mission: Closing the gender wage gap.
Guiding Principles:
Listen first: Seek first to understand and genuinely respect others’ perspectives.
Serve with objectivity and empathy: Serve one another and the public with intent and awareness.
Welcome the new and different: Seek effective and innovative approaches to deliver our work.
Grow together: We are resilient and overcome hurdles together while keeping our sights set on a better tomorrow.
Engage with passion: Our dedication to our mission is apparent to all.
Demonstrate leadership: We show others the way.
In accordance with the Public Sector Expenses Review Act, 2009, the Commissioner’s travel, meal and hospitality expenses must be posted on this website and updated quarterly. This includes information on business-related expenses that are paid by individuals and reimbursed, or processed through diversion accounts (e.g., air and rail charges).
If the above-posted template contains no information, that means that the Commissioner incurred no expenses for that quarter.
