Child Employment

Engagement Summary

The Ministry of Labour introduced changes to the Employment Standards Act to ensure that the work children and young people do is age-appropriate and safe for their health and development.

Before moving forward with specific rules around child employment, input was collected from parents, guardians, employers, businesses, organizations and youth on their perspectives on:

• what types of work are appropriate for children and youth,
• what special rules (if any) should there be for children and youth engaged in this work, and
• should there be exemptions and what might those be?

We especially wanted to hear from farmers and family-run businesses who would like to have their kids involved in the family business. Please note that some jobs are already exempt, including: babysitters, performers in recorded and live entertainment, newspaper carriers, and students in work-study programs. These jobs are not impacted by the new age requirements or rules around light work.

Engagement Timeframe

October 7, 2019 to November 15, 2019

Input Received

• 1,715 online questionnaires received
• 64 online questionnaires received from youth
• 42 comments received from youth

Input leads to action:

This feedback was used to develop regulations on appropriate work for young people aged 14-16, which were announced on July 21, 2021. Click here to view the news release and details of the amendments. The new regulations come into effect on October 15, 2021.

These changes will help to bring B.C. in line with international child employment standards and align B.C. with regulations in almost all other Canadian jurisdictions that protect children from dangerous work. Your feedback will continue to help inform further policy and regulatory development on this topic.