British Columbia introduces Bill 10 to streamline employment standards complaints

At a glance

• Bill 10, the Labour Statutes Amendment Act 2026, was introduced for first reading in British Columbia (BC) on 4 March 2026.
• The bill proposes changes to the Employment Standards Act (ESA) and the Temporary Foreign Worker Protection Act to modernise how workplace complaints are handled.
• It would give the Director of Employment Standards clearer authority to dismiss frivolous, settled or out‑of‑scope complaints and to pause or end investigations where complainants do not participate.
• At the same time, the Director of Employment Standards (Director) would gain expanded powers to launch broader investigations where a complaint raises systemic issues affecting other workers.
• The amendments are intended to speed up dispute resolution, reduce backlogs and align BC’s approach with other Canadian jurisdictions.

On 4 March 2026, Bill 10, the Labour Statutes Amendment Act, 2026, was introduced for First Reading in the British Columbia Legislative Assembly. The bill proposes amendments to the ESA, and the Temporary Foreign Worker Protection Act.

The stated goal of Bill 10 is to modernise how the Employment Standards Branch (ESB) handles workplace complaints from non-unionised employees and temporary foreign workers. The ESB investigates alleged contraventions of both acts and either works with employers to fix the issue or issues formal decisions and penalties. These changes are intended to expedite dispute resolution for both workers and employers.

Bill 10 gives the Director clearer grounds to dismiss complaints that fall outside the ESA, are frivolous, or have already been settled. The Director would also gain more flexibility to pause or end investigations when complainants fail to participate or provide necessary information. Conversely, Bill 10 would also permit the Director to launch broader investigations when a complaint raises issues affecting other workers beyond the original complainant.

Other changes introduced by Bill 10 include:

• Requiring employers to deposit owed amounts before appealing a determination. 
• Speeding up how unclaimed wages are returned to workers through Unclaimed BC.
• Allowing the ESB to direct parties into resolution meetings before launching full investigations.

Takeaways

The amendments aim to speed up complaint resolution and deal with current backlogs, bringing BC in line with other Canadian jurisdictions while preserving the substantive protections both acts provide to workers. 

If you have any questions or need assistance regarding the updates introduced by Bill 10, please contact DLA Piper’s Canadian Employment & Labour group.