Ontario taxpayers paid over $4.3M in legal fees over Bill-124

Ontario taxpayers have paid over $4.3 million in legal fees after the province defended the wage-cap law over two court cases.

In 2019 Premier Doug Ford’s government passed Bill 124 to limit salary increases for most public sector workers at one per cent per year for three years in an effort to eliminate the deficit.

The bill drew widespread anger and was vastly unpopular among nurses, teachers and unions that represented over 800,000 workers, who challenged the law in court.

The Ontario government defended the law in 2022 where the Ontario Superior Court agreed with workers and struck down the law saying it was unconstitutional. The province then appealed the case.

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In a 2-1 decision made earlier this year, the Appeal Court struck down the law saying it infringed on worker’s rights.

In June the Ministry of the Attorney General shared information with The Canadian Press the breakdown of the legal costs.

The province settled with the ten unions that they faced in court and agreed to pay them $3.45 million in legal costs.

The province also paid Lenczner Slaght, a Toronto law firm, $856,482 for legal services related to the appeal.

The New Democratic Party leader Marit Stiles called the legal fees “a waste of time and money.”

With files from The Canadian Press