Message from the Commissioner

Fiscal 2021-2022 continued to be a year of transformation at the Pay Equity Office as our team adapted to digital service provision through rolling lockdowns and the re-opening of Ontario’s economy.

As we continued our mission of closing the gender wage gap, we were encouraged to see a 1.2% decrease from the 2018 to the 2021 census data putting the gender wage gap in Ontario at 11%. While we acknowledge that progress has been made in closing the hourly gender wage gap by Ontario 8 percentage points since 19981, work remains to done.

This annual report highlights our accomplishments and demonstrates how we continue to fulfil our mandate of redressing gender-based wage inequities. It also highlights actions we took to achieve the objectives of our strategic plan.

Of these, some stand out. This fiscal, we developed a refreshed strategic plan, modernized and digitized our service provision and communication platforms, and launched a video and podcast series called “Level the Paying Field”. This series gained international acclaim with an Award of Merit from the International Association of Business Communicators.

The PEO also established collaborative relationships with key stakeholder groups in Ontario, Canada, and globally, including with the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). These collaborations helped build bridges for resource and knowledge sharing while also fostering connections with new audiences and expanded the PEO’s reach in its educational and awareness-raising efforts.

This report offers a renewed format with rich information enabling greater transparency and accountably to Ontario’s workforce and the government. The team that makes up the PEO is dedicated to achieving economic justice for workers across Ontario who are employed in job classes that can be categorized as “female”. I would like to thank our team led by Ayumi Bailly, Director, and Erin McCloskey, Operations Manager, for their dedication and passion. Collectively, daily we are closing the gender wage gap to make the world a more equitable place for women to work, live, and thrive.

Sincerely,

Kadie Ward

Commissioner and Chief Administrative Officer

1 Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey. See the PEO’s website for a more detailed analysis of the gender wage gap.