Job postings: what each province and territory requires

Current to October 11, 2026. This article is for information; it does not replace legal advice.

Posting a job looks simple. Yet since 2023, several provinces have added specific rules: pay in the posting, a ban on asking about past pay, disclosure of artificial intelligence. A compliant posting protects you from complaints, builds trust and attracts better-matched applicants.

The basic rule: where the work is done

As a general rule, the law of the province or territory where the job is performed applies, not the law of your head office. An organization hiring in three provinces follows three sets of rules. If your organization is federally regulated, the Canada Labour Code applies.

The essentials at a glance

• Pay or pay range required in the posting: British Columbia, Ontario (25 or more employees), New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island.
• Asking about pay history is prohibited: British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island.
• Posting published in French: Quebec.
• AI disclosure, vacancy status, reply to applicants within 45 days, no "Canadian experience" requirement: Ontario.
• No specific rule on posting content found: Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador (act passed, not in force), Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut (check incomplete) and federal employers.

The provinces, from west to east

British Columbia

The Pay Transparency Act, in force since November 1, 2023, requires the expected wage or wage range in every publicly advertised job (s. 2). You may not ask an applicant about their pay history unless the information is publicly accessible (s. 3).

Alberta

The Employment Standards Code does not regulate the content of job postings. However, the Alberta Human Rights Act (s. 8) prohibits any advertisement or inquiry that expresses a discriminatory preference.

Saskatchewan

The Saskatchewan Employment Act requires neither pay in the posting nor a ban on pay history questions. It does prohibit charging a job seeker a fee for employment or for information about employers (s. 2-5).

Manitoba

The Employment Standards Code contains no job posting rules, and Manitoba has no pay transparency statute.

Ontario

Since January 1, 2026, the Employment Standards Act, 2000 requires employers with 25 or more employees, for a publicly advertised posting for a specific position, to:

• state the expected compensation or a range no wider than $50,000 (unless compensation exceeds $200,000 per year);
• say whether AI is used to screen, assess or select applicants;
• state whether the posting is for an existing vacancy;
• not require Canadian work experience;
• inform interviewed applicants of the hiring decision within 45 days of the last interview;
• keep postings, application forms and those communications for 3 years.

Exclusions include general recruitment without a specific position, "now hiring" signs and postings restricted to existing staff.

Quebec

The Charter of the French language requires every job offer and the application form to be in French (s. 41). A version in another language may be published, but at the same time and through comparable means (s. 42). Requiring knowledge of another language is allowed only if the duties require it, after taking all reasonable means to avoid it, and the posting must state the reasons (ss. 46 and 46.1). The Charter of human rights and freedoms also prohibits, in a form or interview, any question on a ground of discrimination (s. 18.1).

New Brunswick

The Pay Transparency Act (SNB 2026, c. 1), assented to on June 12, 2026, provides that every new posting, public or internal, states the expected wage or range, and prohibits seeking or relying on pay history unless it is publicly available (s. 5). The sections on inspectors and offences will come into force by proclamation; the duty to post the pay already applies.

Nova Scotia

The Labour Standards Code (s. 57A) prohibits asking the applicant or a former employer about pay history. Verification is allowed only if the applicant discloses it voluntarily and authorizes it in writing. Pay in the posting is not required.

Prince Edward Island

The new Employment Standards Act (SPEI 2024, c. 66), which appears in the official consolidation current to June 30, 2026 and comes into force by proclamation (check the date with the Employment Standards Branch), requires the expected pay or range in a public posting for a specific job (s. 19) and prohibits seeking pay history unless volunteered or publicly available (s. 18).

Newfoundland and Labrador

No requirement is in force. The Pay Equity and Pay Transparency Act of 2022 provides for pay in postings and a ban on pay history questions, but those sections await a proclamation, not found as of October 11, 2026. Worth watching.

The territories

Yukon

The Employment Standards Act regulates neither job posting content nor pay history.

Northwest Territories

The Employment Standards Act has no rules on job postings or pay history.

Nunavut

The official consolidation of the Labour Standards Act has no job posting rules. A recent amendment may not appear in it yet: if in doubt, check with Nunavut's labour standards office before posting your offer.

Federally regulated employers

The Canada Labour Code does not require pay in the posting. The Canadian Human Rights Act (s. 8) makes a form, advertisement or inquiry expressing a preference based on a prohibited ground a discriminatory practice.

Everywhere: human rights

The federal government and every province and territory have a human rights law. The texts we reviewed (Alberta, Quebec, federal) prohibit advertisements and questions that express a preference based on a ground of discrimination. Review your posting and application form against the law of your jurisdiction.

Checklist before you post

1. Note the province or territory where the work will be done.
2. Show the pay or range, even where it is not required: it is the first thing applicants look for.
3. Remove any question about past pay.
4. In Quebec, write the posting and the form in French, and justify any requirement for another language.
5. In Ontario, add the AI and vacancy statements, and plan your reply to applicants within 45 days.
6. Keep a dated copy of the posting and the form.
7. Review everything from a human rights angle.

How Samwell helps

• Every job posting is checked against the requirements of the job's province, with an alert before publication (missing pay, missing French text in Quebec, and so on).
• Each requirement shows its official source and the date it was verified.
• Your careers page publishes your openings and receives applications in one place.

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