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Hours of Work:
Daily Rest Provision and Provision for Rest in Between Shifts Sections 18(1) and 18(3)

Information Bulletin
Revised: April 2005
See also:
Fact Sheet: Hours of Work & Overtime

On December 9, 2004, the Ontario legislature passed new rules about working excess daily or weekly hours and averaging hours of work for overtime purposes. These new rules came into force March 1, 2005. For further details, see our information about Hours of Work and Averaging Hours.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Daily Rest Provisions - S.18(1)
  3. Provision for Rest in Between Shifts - S.18(3)

Examples:

  1. Example 1 - Illustration Where There is a Regular 8-hour Shift Schedule
  2. Example 2 - Illustration Where There is a Regular 12-hour Shift Schedule
  3. Example 3 - Illustration Where There is an Irregular Schedule
  4. Example 4 - The "Short Shift Change"
    1. Example of a Prohibited Short Shift Change
    2. Example of a Permitted Short Shift Change
  5. Example 5 - Back-to-Back Shifts
This Bulletin is intended to provide information and guidelines about the daily rest provision (s. 18(1)) and the provision requiring rest periods in between shifts (s. 18(3)) of the Employment Standards Act, 2000 and is provided as a public service. Although we endeavour to ensure that the information is as current and accurate as possible, errors do occasionally occur. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information. Readers should, where possible, verify the information before acting on it.
Employment Standards Information Centre
416-326-7160 or 1-800-531-5551

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Last modified: June 30, 2005