Pay transparency in Canada: British Columbia, Ontario, PEI and Newfoundland compared

Canada has no single national pay transparency rule for private employers hiring in the provinces. Each province sets its own employment standards, and as of October 2026 three of them require pay information in public job postings: British Columbia, Prince Edward Island and, since January 1, 2026, Ontario. Newfoundland and Labrador passed a similar law in 2022, but its pay transparency sections were still waiting to be proclaimed in force when we checked. The three active rules differ in who is covered, how wide a range can be, and what else must be in the ad.

The four provinces at a glance

British Columbia

The Pay Transparency Act, SBC 2023, c. 18, section 2, requires an employer to state the expected salary or wage, or the expected range, in an advertisement for a "publicly advertised job opportunity," defined as a specific job opportunity the employer advertises to the public in any manner. Section 2 came into force on November 1, 2023. The province's guidance on job postings adds the details recruiters need:

• No open-ended ranges. "$20 per hour and up" or "up to $30 per hour" does not meet the requirement; "$20 to $30 per hour" does.
• Base pay only. Bonuses, commissions, overtime, tips and benefits are not required, though employers may add them.
• No range-width rule yet. The province says how wide a range can be is at the employer's discretion for now, and it may regulate a maximum later.
• Third-party postings count. The rule covers jobs posted by third parties on job boards and recruitment platforms on the employer's behalf.
• Remote and out-of-province postings count. It applies to jobs advertised outside BC if the position is open to BC residents and may be filled by someone living in BC, in person or remotely.
• Exclusions. General "help wanted" posters and recruitment campaigns that do not mention a specific opportunity are not covered, and a job that is not posted publicly needs no pay information.

Section 3 bars an employer from seeking pay history about an applicant, directly or through a third party, unless it is publicly accessible. Section 4 protects employees who ask about or share their pay. The Act also phases in annual pay transparency reports: employers with 1,000 or more employees from 2024, 300 or more from 2025, and 50 or more from 2026, each due by November 1. The Act as published sets no fine for the posting rule, and section 12 disapplies the general offence provision of BC's Offence Act; the director of pay transparency receives reports of non-compliance.

Ontario

Ontario's rules sit in the Employment Standards Act, 2000 and O. Reg. 476/24, and took effect for publicly advertised job postings posted on or after January 1, 2026. The province's guide to the requirements is the most detailed of the four covered here, and the rule asks for more than pay.

Who is covered

Employers with 25 or more employees on the day the posting goes up. Every individual counts, part-time and casual workers included, across all Ontario locations. Temporary help agencies count their assignment employees, active or inactive, toward their own total; those workers do not count toward the client's.

What the posting must include

• Expected compensation or a range. A range may span no more than $50,000 a year: $85,000 to $135,000 is allowed, $85,000 to $140,000 is not. If the expected pay, or the top of the range, is above $200,000 a year, no pay information is required. If pay includes more than one type, such as an hourly rate plus commission, each type must be mentioned, though the commission can be described in general terms.
• An AI statement if artificial intelligence is used to screen, assess or select applicants, including when a recruiting firm does it on the employer's behalf. A short statement is enough; see the AI disclosure to candidates template for wording.
• A vacancy statement saying whether the posting is for an existing vacancy.
• No Canadian experience requirement in the posting or the application form.

After the interview

An employer must tell each applicant it interviewed whether a hiring decision has been made, within 45 days of the last interview, and keep copies of postings (every version, plus linked material) and of those notices for three years. The guide defines an interview to exclude a preliminary screening that only checks minimum qualifications, but a recruiter-led conversation that assesses suitability counts, and the employer remains responsible when a third-party recruiter runs it. A candidate status update email sent on a schedule covers this.

What is excluded

General recruitment campaigns and help-wanted signs that do not advertise a specific position, internal-only postings, and positions performed outside Ontario (or partly outside, where the outside work is not a continuation of work in Ontario).

Prince Edward Island

PEI added pay transparency provisions to its Employment Standards Act effective June 1, 2022, according to the province's 2025 Employment Standards Guide. Under sections 5.8 to 5.10:

• an employer that publishes a publicly advertised job posting must include the expected pay or range of expected pay;
• an employer may not seek pay history information from a job applicant; and
• an employer may not penalize an employee for asking about pay, sharing their own pay, or asking the employer to comply.

PEI sets no employer-size threshold and no range-width limit that we could find. Recruitment campaigns, general help-wanted signs and internal-only postings are outside the posting rule.

Newfoundland and Labrador: passed, not yet in force

The Pay Equity and Pay Transparency Act, SNL 2022, c. P-3.02, was assented to November 9, 2022. Its pay equity part, for the public sector, took effect April 1, 2023. Part II, the pay transparency part that would reach private employers, is a different story. Section 20 says sections 11 to 15 come into force on a day to be proclaimed, and the House of Assembly's list of proclamation dates, updated through at least July 2026, shows no proclamation date for them.

When proclaimed, section 12 will require an employer that publishes a publicly advertised job posting to include the expected pay or range of expected pay, and section 11 will bar seeking an applicant's pay history, while allowing the employer to rely on history the applicant volunteers without prompting. Many Newfoundland employers already post pay; until the province proclaims Part II, it is good practice rather than a legal duty. Check the proclamation list before you rely on that.

Running one Canadian posting across provinces

A national or remote Canadian role is easiest to handle by writing to the strictest rule that could apply:

1. Post a range no wider than $50,000 with a real floor and ceiling. That satisfies Ontario's cap and BC's no-open-ended rule at once.
2. Add the AI and vacancy statements if the employer has 25 or more Ontario employees and the role could be performed in Ontario.
3. Remove pay history questions from the application and the screen everywhere, not just in BC and PEI. Ask about expectations instead; see salary expectation questions.
4. Diarize the 45-day notice for every interviewed applicant on an Ontario posting.
5. Keep every version of the posting for three years.

Canadian hiring also raises recording questions if you record or transcribe interviews; see Canada interview recording consent. For US roles, see pay transparency laws by state.