Bill 168, Ontario’s sweeping new workplace violence and safety legislation, takes effect June 15, coming at an inopportune time for provincially regulated employers including subsidiaries of U.S. companies.

“Many companies cut their safety budgets in the recession, even as the Ministry of Labour [MOL] stepped up enforcement,” says Cheryl Edwards, a partner at Heenan Blaikie. “Bill 168 imposes positive obligations that will heighten the effect of that double whammy.”