February 24, 2022 – Ontario announced it will introduce legislation that would require employers to tell their workers whether they are being monitored electronically, and how.

“Whether you are a delivery-person being followed by GPS, a construction worker using a company phone, or an office worker logging in from home, you deserve to know if and how you are being tracked,” said Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development.

Essentially, employers would have to explain how employees’ use of computers, cell phones, GPS systems and other electronic devices are being tracked.

Under the proposed legislation, employers with 25 or more workers will be required to have a written electronic monitoring policy in place for all employees. The policy would need to contain information on whether the employer electronically monitors its workers and, if so, a description of how and under what circumstances the employer does this.

In addition, the employer would need to disclose the purpose of collecting this information in the first place.

This new requirement would, if passed, apply to employees working in the workplace, in the field, or at home.