There are different laws that may apply to your job or your employment. The laws that may apply to your job depend on things like:
- the type of work you do
- your employment contract
- whether you are unionized
- whether you have any workplace benefits, and
- how long you have worked at the job.
The laws that may apply to your employment are complicated, so you should get legal advice about your situation as soon as possible (see below).
One area of law that applies to employment is Human Rights law and you can visit our Human Rights section for more information. Usually, your employer or prospective employer has no right or need to know that you are living with HIV. If you are living with HIV in Ontario, please contact us for free information and legal advice about HIV and employment.
The Ontario Government website includes general information about employment: www.ontario.ca/jobs-and-employment/jobs-and-employment.
The Government of Canada website includes general information about employment: www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/subjects/employment/index.shtml.
Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO) has publications about your rights at work available on its website or in print: www.cleo.on.ca/english/pub/onpub/subject/work.htm.
The Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network has eight brochures about the privacy rights and disclosure obligations of people living with HIV. The brochures are available on-line in English, French, Arabic, Chinese, Punjabi, Spanish and Tagalog: www.aidslaw.ca/site/kyr/:
- Disclosure at work (Know Your Rights 1).
- Accommodation in the workplace (Know Your Rights 2).
- Remedies for discrimination and privacy violations in the workplace (Know Your Rights 3).
- Disclosure and post-secondary education (Know Your Rights 4).
- Disclosure as a patient (Know Your Rights 5).
- Privacy and Health Records (Know Your Rights 6).
- Disclosure in School and Daycare (Know Your Rights 7).
- Disclosure, Privacy and Parenting (Know Your Rights 8).
The eight Know Your Rights brochures are also available in French Connaître ses droits: www.aidslaw.ca/site/kyr/?lang=fr.
For information about government income programs, including Ontario Disability Support Program, Ontario Works, Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security, please see our Income Security section.
Getting legal help
The law can be very complicated so if you have a question or problem, we recommend that you get legal advice about your situation:
- People living with HIV in Ontario can contact us for free legal advice.
- You can contact your local community legal clinic to find out about services in your community. You can find your local community legal clinic as well as specialty legal clinics using the Legal Aid Ontario website: https://www.legalaid.on.ca/services/legal-clinics/.