ONN Action Alert
 November 27, 2017                                                       

REMINDER: Tell your Ontario government ministry it must support Bill 148 implementation costs for the nonprofits it funds, starting January 1, 2018

Bill 148, the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act has passed!

 

The Ontario government signalled in its Fall Economic Update that it will work with provincially-funded nonprofits to offset the new labour costs associated with the new legislation.

Now, the Ministry of Education has committed to $12.7 million to support the child care sector to cover added costs.

It’s time for the other 14+ ministries that have funding agreements with nonprofits to get on board!

As Cathy Taylor, ONN’s Executive Director, was quoted in Friday’s Toronto Star: “(The sector) supports the new legislation and the decent work practices it embraces…. We are counting on our funders and on government to think about how they can support those costs.”

Great examples of advocacy work for more support

The Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario has run an excellent advocacy campaign focused on professional pay and decent work.

St. Stephen’s Community House lead advocacy efforts for employment services agencies with a group statement to the Ontario Ministry of Labour supporting decent work and Bill 148.

Who this affects and when

All nonprofits with paid staff in Ontario could be affected by Bill 148. The minimum wage increase of $14 an hour goes into effect January 1, 2018, with additional provisions in effect April 1, 2018 and onwards. That means board-approved budgets and funding agreements already in place for 2017-18 may need to be revisited.

What’s at stake

We know from our active outreach to the sector that many provincially-funded nonprofits have had their funding agreements flat-lined for five to ten years or longer. There is no space in their budgets to absorb new labour costs. Many nonprofits have told us they will have to reduce service levels in the communities they serve if Ontario ministries don’t step up and fill in the gap.

These additional and unanticipated costs must be covered in the current fiscal year and on an ongoing basis.

Business support

The government has already made hard commitments to the small business sector for within-year support, effective January 1, 2018. And the robust growth of the Ontario economy, as stated in the update, means that the Ontario government can afford to take measures to offset the costs Bill 148 imposes on provincially-funded nonprofits.

Please take action by December 1, 2017

This is an important sector-wide issue where we can show the impact and strength of the 55,000 nonprofits and charities across Ontario. We know that most nonprofits with paid staff will be affected by some or all of Bill 148 provisions whether they get provincial dollars or not- so talk to your funders and donors about your commitment to decent work and the need for new statutory labour costs to be reflected in your funding agreements. Let’s channel our voices and advocate for our community-driven missions and the people we serve!

What can you do?

  1. Write to your MPP: list by electoral district; find your electoral district name here.
  2. Write to your provincial minister(s).
  3. Write to your other funder(s).

Use our template or create your own to share your key messages with provincial funders. You can also use this to encourage your municipal, federal, and private funders to be “decent funders.”

http://theonn.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Template-Ontario-government-must-support-Bill-148-costs.11.17.2017-1.docx

Don’t forget to send us a copy at Bill148@theonn.ca so we can gather sector perspectives!

Key messages for provincial funders and elected officials

The Ontario government must align its funding practices with its role as employment standards regulator.

The Ontario government has developed mitigating solutions for other sectors affected by this legislation and we ask that the same consideration be given to the nonprofit sector and its workers.

Provincial ministries must find the money in their 2017-2018 budgets to offset the nonprofit budget pressures created through the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act (Bill 148). Some of these hard costs start on January 1, 2018, i.e., within the current fiscal year for which transfer payment agreements have already been signed.

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Resources: What’s the impact of Bill 148 on your organization?

ONN’s sector survey indicated a large proportion of the sector has not come to terms with its potential costs.

5 Things You Need to Know and Do about Bill 148

Costing tool: Have you reviewed your human resources policies and staff contracts and calculated the potential impacts of Bill 148 on your organization? How much will this affect your organization’s budget? (Not sure where to start? Try this template developed by Carlington Community Health Centre.) ONN is developing an online tool that will help a variety of nonprofit employers calculate their Bill 148 costs so they can better communicate them to public and private funders. Stay tuned for updates.

ONN’s commitment to decent work for nonprofit sector workers

Download our decent work toolkit, which includes a decent work checklist and a decent work charter.

Share this Action Alert!

Sample tweets and posts

Take action! Ontario government ministries must support #Bill148 implementation costs for the nonprofits they fund, starting January 1, 2018. http://bit.ly/2j4mUpt #DecentWork #TakeAction #WeAdvocate #PublicBenefit

Funded by an Ontario ministry? Time to take action! Handy template to tell your Ontario ministry that they must support #Bill148 implementation costs, starting January 1, 2018. http://bit.ly/2j4mUpt #DecentWork #TakeAction #WeAdvocate #PublicBenefit

Provincial ministries must find the money in their 2017-2018 budgets to offset the nonprofit budget pressures created through #Bill148. Tell your provincial ministry and MPP!http://bit.ly/2j4mUpt #DecentWork #TakeAction #WeAdvocate #PublicBenefit #ONpoli

Tell your Ontario minister and MPP: Ontario government must support nonprofits through increased budget pressures from #Bill148. #DecentWork #TakeAction #WeAdvocate #PublicBenefit http://bit.ly/2j4mUpt

 

Ontario Nonprofit Network | @Foundation House | 2 St. Clair Avenue East, Suite 300 | Toronto, ON, M4T 2T5 | (416) 642-5786 | info@theonn.ca