ONA has been at the forefront of the fight for equal pay for work of equal value for more than 30 years. Since the inception of Ontario’s Pay Equity Act in 1987, ONA has fought to achieve pay equity for its members.
First recognized in Ontario in 2014, Equal Pay Day is dedicated to raising awareness of the gender pay gap by highlighting that women must work longer than men to earn the same amount.
Equal Pay Day shifts each year, marking the date that an average woman would have to work into the new year to earn what an average man earned in the previous year. In 2025, Equal Pay Day in Ontario is Thursday, April 10.
It’s important to remember that the pay gap is not just about gender and that the date chosen for Equal Pay Day is symbolic. The pay gap increases substantially when it intersects with other forms of discrimination, including those experienced by:
- racialized women
- Indigenous women
- immigrant and migrant women
- women with disabilities
- elderly women
- women who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (LGBTQ)
It’s time to raise awareness and discuss solutions to close the gender wage gap in Ontario.
Equal Pay Day Lunch and Learn
The Equal Pay Coalition is holding a free hybrid lunch and learn on April 10 from 12-1:30 p.m. ET.
Hear from leading economist Armine Yalnizyan as she breaks down this economic moment and how it affects women, as well as presentations from women working on the front lines in different sectors affected by tariffs. Pam Frache from Justice for Workers will also provide an organizing workshop to give you tools to help organize in your community.
Learn more and register online: Equal Pay Day - Free Lunch & Learn Tickets, Thu, Apr 10, 2025 at 12:00 PM | Eventbrite.
