Workers in Ontario (and Canada) have rights. The best known are the Health and Safety-related rights: the right to know about hazards, the right to participate in making the workplace safe, and the right to refuse unsafe work. With rights come responsibiliies, like the duty to report unsafe conditions to your employer.
There are also basic workplace expectations for weekly hours of work, breaks, and more laid out in the Employment Standards Act.
You cannot waive your basic rights as laid out in the Occupational Health and Safety, and Employment Standards Acts.
Learn about your rights as an employee in Ontario.
Fraudulent Job Ads
Unfortunately, not every job posting is an opportunity. Scammers know that job offers are a powerful tool for harvesting personal information and money, so you need to know how to distinguish legitimate job postings from scam attempts. For more information please see the Canadian Anti-fraud website.
Students sometimes receive emails offering jobs that you never applied for - these are often phishing scams, aimed at stealing your identity. Do not share identification or banking information with anyone unless you have applied for a job, had an interview, and accepted a written job offer.
Students have accepted what seem like job offers, then the "employer" makes unusual requests such as cashing cheques for amounts larger than the student is owed and forwarding the remainder to another party. If a request such as this is made, please do not perform this transaction. You may not be an employee at all, and someone may be trying to steal from you.
Please contact the Academic Advising & Career Centre (AA&CC) in AC 213 or at 416-287-7561 if any of these requests are made by employers listing positions on U of T's student/graduate job board in CLNx.utoronto.ca or if you have any questions or concerns about employer interactions.