Hiring Your First Employee in Ontario: A Checklist

Taking on your first employee means taking on new legal duties under Ontario's Employment Standards Act (ESA), the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) and federal payroll rules.

The checklist

1. Payroll account: open one with the Canada Revenue Agency, and deduct income tax, CPP and EI.
2. WSIB: most industries must register within 10 days of hiring their first worker.
3. ESA poster: post the Ministry's employment standards poster and give your employee a copy.
4. Health and safety poster: post the "Prevention Starts Here" poster.
5. Training: make sure workers and supervisors complete basic health and safety awareness training.
6. Policies: prepare workplace violence and harassment policies. They must be written and posted if you regularly employ six or more workers.
7. A written contract: set out the job, pay, hours, and an enforceable termination clause.
8. Records: keep records of hours, wages and vacation, generally for at least three years.

Employee or contractor?

Calling someone a contractor doesn't make them one. What matters is how the work is actually done.

Common first-hire mistakes

• Unpaid trial shifts or training.
• No overtime pay after 44 hours a week.
• A termination clause that doesn't meet the ESA minimums.

Sources

• Ontario: your guide to the Employment Standards Act
• Occupational Health and Safety Act
• WSIB: register your business
• CRA: payroll

Read next: Accessibility Rules for Small Businesses in Ontario (AODA)

General Ontario legal information, not legal advice for your matter, and reading it does not create a retainer. Sources checked 15 October 2026: check the current law, forms and dates before you act.

Photos from Pexels: Colleagues shaking hands in an office · A job interview in an office.

This article is general information for people in Ontario, not legal advice. Rules, forms and deadlines change, and every situation is different. Check the current rule or speak to a licensed legal professional before you act.