THE QUESTION OF MANDATORY RETIREMENT

Professor (Emeritus) John H. Munro passed away December 23, 2013


Department of Economics,
University of Toronto
150 St. George Street: Room N-108 [Retirees' Room]

Revised Thursday, 7 December 2006

Important update: On Thursday, 8 December 2005, the Ontario legislature enacted Bill 211 (Third Reading) to abolish mandatory retirement at 65: essentially by amending the Human Rights Code whose provisions on age discrimination had pertained only to the years 18 - 64. The bill was given Royal Assent on 12 December; and thus mandatory retirement will be abolished in one year from that date, i.e., as of 12 December 2006 -- in order to allow employers a full year to make necessary provisions or adjustments for those who chose to continue working past 65 (undoubtedly, a small minority). Note, however, that in other provinces that ostensibly abolished mandatory retirement (e.g., Manitoba, Alberta, etc.), the provincial legislatures subsequently made special provisions to allow mandatory retirement at 65 in universities, usually under the BFOR clause: age as a bona fide occupational requirement. Let us be vigilant that, that some time in the future, another government tries to amend this act in order to allow this same exception. Before the Ontario legislation, Quebec had been the only province that had completely abolished mandatory retirement (in 1983): and in fact it was the very first jurisdiction in North American to do so.

The Historic Agreement to abolish Mandatory Retirement at the University of Toronto, on 14 March 2005:

Frequently Asked Questions about the University's Abolition of Mandatory Retirement

The Economic, Social, and Moral Issues involved in the debate on Mandatory Retirement in Ontario



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