Ontario Midwives Win at Ontario Court of Appeal in Fight to Address the Gender Pay Gap

On Monday, June 13, 2022 the Ontario Court of Appeal upheld a 2018 decision of the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (the "HRTO") in which the HRTO found that the Ontario government discriminated against Ontario midwives by failing to address the systemic wage gap. 

In landmark legal decisions in 2018 (the Liability Decision) and 2020 (the Remedy Decision), the HRTO found that the Ontario government had systemically discriminated against midwives on the basis of their gender when setting their compensation. The HRTO ordered the Ontario government to take concrete actions to end the gender pay gap experienced by midwives, including a compensation adjustment of 20%, retroactive to 2011, and a series of proactive remedies to ensure midwives' compensation is set free of systemic gender discrimination going forward. The Ontario government appealed the HRTO's decision to the Ontario Divisional Court, who also upheld the Tribunal's rulings in a 2020 decision. 

Cavalluzzo LLP is proud to have represented midwives throughout this fight for pay equity.

Click below to read news coverage on the Ontario Court of Appeal's recent decision:

• The Toronto Star: Ontario Court Upholds Pay Equity Ruling for Midwives: "We're Tired of Being Devalued"
• The Ontario Human Rights Commission: Pay Equity for Midwives Upheld by Ontario's Highest Court
• CISION: Midwives Keep Winning in the Fight to Close the Gender Pay Gap
• The Lawyer's Daily: Court of Appeal Upholds Tribunal Decision on Pay Equity for Ontario Midwives
• Employee Benefits: Ontario Government Loses Second Gender Wage Gap Appeal
• Association of Ontario Midwives: Midwives Keep Winning in Fight to Close the Gender Pay Gap