Province to repeal wage cap law after court loss

In major reversal, Tories won't appeal ruling that Bill 124 was unconstitutional

- ROB FERGUSON, KRISTIN RUSHOWY

In a victory for nurses, teachers and thousands of unionized public-sector workers, Premier Doug Ford's government is backing down on another major policy - his controversial wage restraint legislation.

The sudden shift came Monday evening after Ontario's top court upheld a Superior Court ruling that Bill 124 was unconstitutional and union leaders signalled they were out of patience.

A terse statement from the office of Attorney General Doug Downey said the government "will not appeal today's Court of Appeal decision and will instead take steps to repeal Bill 124 in its entirety in the coming weeks." The statement was unexpected.

Just three hours before it was issued, Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy had told a news conference the government would "take ...

time" to consider whether to seek leave to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court of Canada.

"Every climbdown and policy reversal is proof that when we work together, we can win," NDP Leader Marit Stiles- whose party had long called for the repeal of the 2019 legislation - said on social media.

"After wasting years and countless dollars fighting workers in court, it's time to start fixing the mess Bill 124 created in our hospitals, schools and public services," Stiles said.

In its long-awaited decision Monday morning, the Court of Appeal found the Progressive Conservative government infringed upon Charter rights to collective bargaining with Bill 124.

The legislation capped wage increases for most public-sector workers at one per cent annually for three years and has been blamed for an exodus of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic as they toiled long hours at the risk of their own health.