Gig Worker Ontario: Rights, Minimum Wage, and Legislation Explained

What Ontario’s Gig Worker Rules Mean for You

If you drive for Uber Eats, deliver with DoorDash, or work through any digital platform, you’re part of Ontario’s fast-growing gig economy — and as of July 1, 2025, you have legal protections.

The Digital Platform Workers’ Rights Act (DPWRA) is officially in effect, introducing minimum-wage guarantees and stronger transparency rules for gig workers in Ontario. These changes finally give app-based drivers and couriers some of the workplace rights other employees have long enjoyed.

What Are Gig Workers in Ontario?

A gig worker is someone who completes short-term or task-based jobs through an online platform — like Uber, Lyft, SkipTheDishes, or DoorDash.

Most are still treated as independent contractors, not employees, which means they don’t automatically qualify for all benefits under Ontario’s Employment Standards Act (ESA).

The DPWRA doesn’t change that classification, but it does give every platform worker new, enforceable rights around pay, transparency, and fairness.

Ontario Minimum Wage for Gig Workers

Gig Workers Are Now Entitled to Minimum Wage

Under the DPWRA, all digital-platform workers in Ontario must be paid at least the general minimum wage for their “engaged time.”

That means:

• You must earn no less than Ontario minimum wage (currently $17.20 per hour as of Oct 1 2025) for the time you actively complete an accepted assignment.
• Tips and gratuities can’t be counted toward that wage.
• Your platform must clearly explain how your pay is calculated and issue detailed records for every job.

However, time spent waiting for orders or rides still isn’t covered. So while minimum-wage protection is a step forward, it doesn’t yet address unpaid standby periods — one of the biggest ongoing concerns for Ontario gig workers.

Ontario Gig Workers Legislation: What It Guarantees

The Digital Platform Workers’ Rights Act gives gig workers a core set of legal protections now active across Ontario.

1. Minimum Wage for Active Work
   Every completed job must pay at least the provincial minimum wage for the time you’re engaged in that assignment.
2. Pay Transparency
   Platforms must disclose pay calculations, timing, and any deductions in writing.
3. Notice Before Deactivation
   Workers can’t be removed or “deactivated” from a platform without an explanation, except for serious misconduct.
4. Protection from Reprisal
   It’s illegal for a platform to penalize you for asking about or asserting your rights under the Act.
5. Record-Keeping Requirements
   Platforms must maintain detailed pay and work-assignment records for at least three years.

What the Law Still Doesn’t Cover

Even with these new rights, gig workers in Ontario don’t yet receive full ESA protections, including:

• Vacation pay and public-holiday pay
• Overtime and severance pay Ontario
• Expense reimbursement for fuel, insurance, or data usage

Those broader benefits depend on how you’re classified — an issue that remains under active legal challenge.

Are Gig Workers Employees or Independent Contractors?

That debate continues to shape Canada’s employment-law landscape.

Most platforms still classify their workers as independent contractors, but many argue they function like employees and deserve the same rights.

Our firm, Samfiru Tumarkin LLP, represents thousands of drivers and couriers in this exact situation — including participants in our $400 million Uber Class Action Lawsuit.

That case seeks to confirm that Uber drivers should be treated as employees entitled to vacation pay, overtime, and severance under Ontario law.

What Ontario Gig Workers Should Do Now

If you work for Uber, DoorDash, Lyft, or any similar app:

• Track your hours and completed jobs.
• Check that you’re earning at least $17.20 per hour for engaged time.
• Keep pay stubs and communications from your platform.
• Speak to a lawyer if you’re underpaid, removed without cause, or think you’ve been misclassified.

Even with the new law, many workers are still missing pay or benefits they deserve.

FAQs About Gig Workers in Ontario

Are Ontario gig workers now covered by minimum wage?

Yes. As of July 1 2025, you must be paid at least Ontario’s minimum wage for the time you’re actively completing assignments.

Do gig workers get vacation pay or overtime?

Not automatically. Those benefits apply only if you’re legally recognized as an employee.

Can platforms still deactivate workers without warning?

No. The DPWRA requires a written explanation, except in limited circumstances involving fraud or safety issues.

Does this law apply to Uber Eats and DoorDash?

Yes. All major digital-platform operators in Ontario are covered.