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Katelyn Weller

Counsel at Bennett Jones Toronto

Counsel

Carl Cunningham

Management-side Employment Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Partner

The 2025 Federal Budget proposes significant employment law changes, including restrictions on non-compete agreements and new measures to address worker misclassification and wage theft. Federally regulated employers should prepare for upcoming consultations in early 2026.

Federal Budget Proposals Affecting Employers

David Cassin

Employment Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice’s recent decision in Wigdor v Facebook Canada Ltd, 2025 ONSC 4051 provides helpful clarity for employers on two key issues: the enforceability of restricted stock unit (RSU) forfeiture provisions, and the legal threshold for awarding punitive damages in employment disputes.

Forfeiture Clause Upheld

Forfeiture Clause Upheld, Punitive Damages Denied: Favourable Takeaways for Employers

Brendan J. Weiler

Employment Services Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Associate

On May 28, 2025, the Ontario government introduced <a href="https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/bills/parliament-44/session-1/bill-30">Bill 30, Working for Workers Seven Act, 2025</a> (Bill 30), representing the latest addition to a series of legislative initiatives that Ontario has seen introduced under the “Working for Workers” headline since October 2021.

Ontario Introduces Bill 30

Ontario Introduces Bill 30, Working for Workers Seven Act, 2025

Ontario has recently published regulations offering employers further details on the new amendments to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) related to the hiring process. These changes were initially introduced under the Working for Workers Four Act, 2024 (Bill 149) and the Working for Workers Five Act, 2024 (Bill 190) as part of Ontario’s “Working for Workers” legislation series, which received Royal Assent earlier this year. We previously discussed these changes in our updates, <a href="https://www.bennettjones.com/Blogs-Section/More-Legislative-Changes-on-the-Horizon-for-Ontario-Employers">More Legislative Changes on the Horizon for Ontario Employers</a> and <a href="https://www.bennettjones.com/Blogs-Section/More-Legislative-Changes-for-Ontario-Employers">More Legislative Changes for Ontario Employers as Ontario’s Working for Workers Five Act, 2024 Receives Royal Assent</a>. The regulations are accessible <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/r24476?highlight=false&lang=en&option=%7B%22year%22%3A%22All%22%2C%22selection%22%3A%5B%22regulation%22%5D%7D&paging=%7B%22page%22%3A1%2C%22pageSize%22%3A50%2C%22sort%22%3A%22Newest%22%7D&searchMode=browse&searchWithin=%5B%22title%22%2C%22body%22%5D&searchWithinResult=false&selection=source+law&text=&trigger=1&useExact=false&withinResultSearch=" target="_blank">here</a> and <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/r24477?highlight=false&lang=en&option=%7B%22year%22%3A%22All%22%2C%22selection%22%3A%5B%22regulation%22%5D%7D&paging=%7B%22page%22%3A1%2C%22pageSize%22%3A50%2C%22sort%22%3A%22Newest%22%7D&searchMode=browse&searchWithin=%5B%22title%22%2C%22body%22%5D&searchWithinResult=false&selection=source+law&text=&trigger=1&useExact=false&withinResultSearch=" target="_blank">here</a>.

New Regulations Regarding the Hiring Process Key Dates and Information for Ontario Employers

New Regulations Regarding the Hiring Process: Key Dates and Information for Ontario Employers

Andrew Bozzato

Corporate, M&A, Securities Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Simon Grant

Banking & Finance Lawyer, Fintech Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Partner 

Matthew Flynn

Technology Transaction Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Canada's federal budget was released on November 4, 2025 and included some much-anticipated news for fintech. In this latest edition of our Fintech in Canada quarterly update, we look at the key announcements in Budget 2025 for the sector, including the unleashing of stablecoins, fintech-focused changes to financial legislation and momentum for open banking and how fintechs can navigate the evolving landscape.&nbsp;

Fintech in Canada Q3 2025

Ahmed Elmallah

Intellectual Property Lawyer at Bennett Jones Edmonton

Counsel, Patent Agent, Trademark Agent

Lorelei Graham

Food and Agribusiness Lawyer, IP Lawyer, Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Edward (Ted) Yoo

Intellectual Property Lawyer and Canada/US Patent and Trademark Agent at Bennett Jones Edmonton

Partner, Patent Agent, Trademark Agent

Recent disputes involving xAI, OpenAI and a former engineer highlight how quickly job transitions can escalate into trade-secret and IP risks. This article explains why every business needs a clear confidential information and intellectual property (CI&amp;IP) governance policy&mdash;and how such policies help prevent disputes, protect proprietary assets and ensure compliance with third-party obligations.

Why Every Business and StartUp Needs an Employee Governance Policy

X.AI Corp. v. OpenAI—Why Every Business (and Start-Up) Needs an Employee Governance Policy for Managing Confidential Business Information and IP Risk

Martin Ignasiak KC

Regulatory Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Ashley M. White

Corporate, Commercial Transactions, Power & Energy Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Jessica Kennedy

Budget 2025 sets out Canada&rsquo;s Climate Competitiveness Strategy, reaffirming goals to attract clean investment, strengthen carbon pricing systems and position the country as an emerging energy superpower. The Strategy details updates to emissions regulations, clean technology tax credits, critical mineral programs and major project approvals, offering new signals for investors and industry.

Canadas Budget 2025 Canadas Climate Competitiveness Strategy

Canada's Budget 2025: Canada's Climate Competitiveness Strategy

J. Sébastien A. Gittens

Intellectual Property and Technology Commercialization Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Partner, Trademark Agent

Stephen D. Burns

Technology Lawyer, Intellectual Property Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

AI is rapidly integrating into enterprise workflows, yet vendor agreements often lag behind in safeguarding organizational risk. This article highlights the hidden hazards in standard AI terms and conditions, including data usage, IP ownership, liability limits and regulatory compliance gaps and outlines strategies to strengthen contractual oversight.

Carl Cunningham Comments on Non-Compete versus Non-Solicit Clauses

From the Same Authors

Federal Budget Proposals Affecting Employers

Forfeiture Clause Upheld, Punitive Damages Denied: Favourable Takeaways for Employers

Ontario Introduces Bill 30, Working for Workers Seven Act, 2025

Latest Insights

Federal Budget Proposals Affecting Employers

Fintech in Canada Q3 2025

X.AI Corp. v. OpenAI—Why Every Business (and Start-Up) Needs an Employee Governance Policy for Managing Confidential Business Information and IP Risk

Canada's Budget 2025: Canada's Climate Competitiveness Strategy

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