When the Ontario Pay Equity Act came into effect in 1988, libraries across Ontario faced unique challenges creating their Pay Equity Plans. Fast forward to 2025, many Library (Boards) CEOs and leaders are finding out that they are legally responsible for maintaining pay equity; and just not sure where to begin.  Add in the challenges of old and missing pay equity information and tools, defunct joint job evaluation committees, out of date agreements, in some cases a proxy pay equity plan and/or several years since pay equity was last “maintained”.

Session 1 - “In the Spirit of the Act”- Mastering Pay Equity Concepts for Library CEO’s and Leaders (February 11, 9:30-10:30am ET)

Our first session will help you understand the intentions of the Ontario Pay Equity Act, cover major concepts covered in the Pay Equity Act, teach you about non-statutory pay equities, the unique challenges for libraries to comply, who’s involved, who’s responsible, understand your library’s historical pay equity information and what we mean by “maintenance”.  We will also share information on how to maximize your Library’s grant opportunities for pay equity.   

Learning Objectives:

1. Master the major concepts and terminology of the Ontario Pay Equity Act
2. Grant opportunities related to pay equity 
3.  What is “maintenance” and how to get started 

Session 2 - Pay Equity Maintenance - Complying Now and in the Future (March 11, 9:30-10:30am ET)

Our second session will help you effectively navigate the involvement of employees and/or unions in your next maintenance exercise, master your library’s Pay equity tools, including job design, analysis and evaluation concepts, and how to ensure your Library continues to meet its obligations under the Pay Equity Act in years to come.  Finally, you will learn how to effectively communicate Pay Equity outcomes to employees and other stakeholders. 

Learning objectives:

1. Manage the involvement of unions/employees in Pay Equity maintenance 
2. Learn to effectively use the Pay Equity tools including the Job Evaluation Plan for greater efficiency and clarity in your organization 
3. Set your organization up for success for future compliance