Toronto employment lawyer on CTV News about Bill 88

Interview Summary

As of October 11th, 2022, employers with over 25 employees must have an electronic monitoring policy in their workplace. What will this mean for employee privacy rights? Will Bill 88 offer more protections to employees or pose new challenges for those working remotely?

Mackenzie Irwin, a Toronto employment lawyer and Associate at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP joined CTV News to discuss the rights of employees as monitoring policies come into effect.

Interview Notes

• Implications for employees when Bill 88 goes into effect: This is a great first step for employees as this legislation ensures all employees are aware of whether or not they are being monitored. Many employers have implemented electronic tracking ad monitoring systems throughout the pandemic without making their employees aware.
• Permissible acts and tracking by employers: Currently there is no clear documentation on what an employer can and cannot do as long as the privacy rights of employees in place are not breached. This new legislation does not give employees any more privacy rights but forces transparency in the workplace.
• Bill 88 offers advantages to employers and employees: Ultimately this legislation simply offers employees more knowledge to better protect their own rights. Employers currently track employee data whether or not employees are aware of it at both a physical workplace and through a remote working arrangement.