August 6, 2003 by Israel Foulon LLP
Question: What is the law in Manitoba with respect to the employment of a child that is 14 years of age?
Answer: Under the Manitoba Employment Standards Code no person is allowed to employ a child, defined as an individual under the age of 16 years, without a permit. Permits may be obtained on application from the Director of Employment Standards. Applications are available from all Employment Standards offices, and must be signed by the child’s parent or guardian and by the employer. The Manitoba Employment Standards Guidelines state that the child’s school principal must also sign the application if the work period is during the school year.
Permits are only issued after specific employment has been obtained. The employer must certify that the work or service the child will be performing will not be harmful to the child’s safety, health or well-being. Furthermore, employment of a child in which a substantive part of the work involves machinery is prohibited.
Peter Israel is the senior partner in the Toronto law firm of Israel Foulon LLP – Employment and Labour Lawyers. He can be reached at 416-640-1550 or pi@qtw38575.mywhc.ca. A version of this article originally appeared in the Carswell publication, Canadian Employment Law Today