Enforcement action by the Ontario Ministry of Labour has led to the shutdown of unpaid internship programs at two popular magazines — Toronto Life and The Walrus — and the crackdown may not be over.
Following complaints, the ministry carried out inspections at both magazines last December "to determine whether certain publicly posted positions were [Employment Standards Act] compliant," said a government statement.
As a result of those inspections, the ministry issued compliance orders alleging violations of several parts of the act, including minimum wage provisions, holiday pay and vacation pay. It said the interns would have to be paid.
Ontario's Labour Ministry says there are few exceptions to the requirement that interns be subject to the Employment Standards Act. The main exception would be for interns working under a program approved by a college of applied arts and technology or a university, and secondary school students working under an authorized work experience program.
Most of the interns at Toronto Life and The Walrus do not fall into those categories, so most have subsequently been told they no longer have positions at the magazines. The magazines say they simply cannot afford to pay their interns.
The magazine says it is "extremely sorry" that its internship program, which has been running for 10 years, can no longer be offered. It said the program has "assisted many young Ontarians — and Canadians — in bridging the gap from university to paid work and in, many cases, on to stellar careers." Five interns will lose their jobs next week.
At Toronto Life, the internship program has been running for about 20 years.
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