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Ontario job posting rules 2026: pay range, AI, Canadian experience, 45-day notice

Updated 2026-10-28. Rules current to October 23, 2026. A plain-language summary, not legal advice. EmployerReady is not affiliated with the Government of Ontario.

Since January 1, 2026, Ontario employers with 25 or more employees on the day a job is posted must follow new rules for publicly advertised job postings.

Which postings are covered

An external posting advertised to the general public, by you or by anyone acting for you (a recruiter or a job board does not move the responsibility). Pages and forms linked from the posting count as part of it. Not covered: general “we’re hiring” signs or campaigns that don’t advertise a specific job, internal postings, and work performed outside Ontario (work split between Ontario and elsewhere is excluded only if the outside work isn’t a continuation of Ontario work). Count every employee in Ontario, including part-time, casual, on leave and on probation; related employers count together, and temporary-agency workers count for the agency, not its client.

What a covered posting must do

  • Pay: state the expected pay or a range. A range can be no more than $50,000 wide. Postings where the pay, or the top of the range, is more than $200,000 a year are exempt. Mention other kinds of pay too, for example “plus commission of up to $10,000”.
  • Artificial intelligence: if AI is used to screen, assess or select applicants, say so.
  • Vacancy: say whether the posting is for an existing vacancy (one that is available to be filled now or soon).
  • No Canadian experience requirement, in the posting or the application form. That covers Canadian work experience, Canadian education credentials and an established professional network or client base in Canada. The government’s guide says professional licensing or registration requirements are still allowed; the Human Rights Code applies as always.

One more line applies to every employer, whatever its size: the Human Rights Code does not allow a posting to state or hint at a preferred age, such as “young team”, “digital native” or “under 35” (ss. 23(1), 24(1)(b)). An age limit is allowed only when the job truly requires it, such as a legal minimum age.

After the interview: the 45-day notice

If you interview an applicant (early screening calls don’t count), tell them whether a hiring decision has been made within 45 days of their last interview (or within 45 days of each interview, if interviews are more than 45 days apart), in person, in writing or electronically. This applies when a recruiter does the interviewing too, and to interviews on or after January 1, 2026, even for older postings.

Keep records for three years

Keep a copy of each posting and its application form for three years after it comes down, including linked pages and every revised version, and keep the 45-day notice information for three years after you give it.

Related rules at 25 employees

If you had 25 or more employees on January 1, you need written policies on disconnecting from work and electronic monitoring in place before March 1 of that year, with a copy to each employee within 30 days.

Separately, if you employ 25 or more on a new hire’s first day, give them a written information sheet (employer names and contacts, work location, starting pay, pay period and pay day, initial hours) before they start, or as soon as reasonably possible after.

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