Update on B.C. Pay Transparency Act

The B.C. government has indicated that it expects a Regulation, initial Policy Directives, and filing tool regarding its new Pay Transparency Act will be available in Fall 2023. It has also launched a corresponding webpage.

A few provisions of the Act took effect at Royal Assent (May 11, 2023):

• Employers are prohibited from asking about a candidate’s pay history;
• Employers are also prohibited from seeking pay history about a job applicant unless pay history is publicly available;
• Reprisals against employees for asking about or sharing their pay information, or, making inquiries about pay transparency reports are prohibited. [Employees are able to ask questions about the pay transparency report process without fear of reprisal.]

RCC has a briefing note covering the Act’s advertising (November 1, 2023) and reporting (January 1, 2024) provisions.