Unpaid internships are increasingly widespread in Canada and are for the most part totally illegal. Following a series of press reports about businesses using this unlawful practice, the Ontario Ministry of Labour decided to run an inspection blitz to evaluate how prevalent the practice actually was. The results are worrying: 42% of employers with interns were found to be breaking the law.
On Tuesday September 30, Ontario’s Ministry of Labour released the results of an inspection blitz aimed at identifying illegal unpaid internships. The inspections were carried out in the Greater Toronto Area from April 1 – June 15. The Ministry inspected 56 businesses in sectors known to employ a high proportion of interns such as in advertising and public relations. The inspections checked to see if the internships contravened the law on employment standards and in particular if the internship
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