The salary information you need to know
Last summer, I worked as a summer student at the Ministry of Finance as part of the Aboriginal Summer Student Program. The program was a great learning experience for me. I was exposed to diverse areas of law and had the opportunity to work with and learn from excellent mentors. However, when deciding where to apply for work in my 2L summer, I did not apply to a single government position and it came down to one defining factor: money.
The Numbers
Currently, all summer law students who work with the Ontario government are compensated at $16.40 per hour ($594.50 per week) for 1Ls, and $18.40 per hour ($667.00 per week) for 2Ls. Let’s look at those numbers in context—prepare for some number crunching. First, the living wage in Toronto is estimated at around $22.08 per hour, a threshold that this salary clearly does not meet. Second, this salary is also significantly less than other summer jobs offered through the law school. For example, Summer Research Assistants are paid around $20 per hour. Law students working at clinics like Downtown Legal Services and Advocates for Injured Workers are paid about $700 a week. Summer fellowships, such as the one through the International Human Rights Program, are paid up to a $10,000 stipend for the entire summer. It is almost not worth comparing government salaries to Bay Street, but for reference, the standard Bay Street summer salary is $1,900 per week. Comparatively, I made approximately $7,500 for 13 weeks of work at the Ministry of Finance as a 1L student.
Ontario government jobs simply do not pay enough for low-income students to accept them without incurring serious financial consequences. Combine these low salaries with the astronomically high tuition costs at U of T Law, and this is a classic example of the law school to Bay Street pipeline in action. This is not to say that government jobs are an ideal alternative to Bay Street, but the reality is that students interested in public interest work are often steered towards government roles. For example, government jobs are heavily featured at the CDO’s public interest day. It is worth asking ourselves who can afford to take these jobs. Personally, accepting this job meant taking on more debt and was simply not a sustainable choice for me long-term.
Future Salary Changes (Spoiler: It Doesn’t Look Good!)
Maybe you read the last UV article on Bay Street salary raises and thought to yourself, “Hey, maybe the government will increase salaries too!” Well, I hate to break it to you, but it seems unlikely in the near future.
All summer law students are unionized under the Ontario Public Service Employee Union (OPSEU). The collective agreement is set to be renegotiated this year. However, there are two reasons that student wages are unlikely to change in the upcoming collective agreement.
First, the priorities for collective bargaining were set in early May 2021, and after speaking with an OPSEU union steward, I was informed that it was unlikely any students were present for this discussion. The steward told me that there is no obligation for the employer to promptly share new employee email addresses with the OPSEU. This was the first week of work for summer students so no timely communications were made to summer students about the agenda-setting process. Therefore, there is likely nothing about student wages on the agenda for upcoming collective bargaining.
Secondly, even if higher student wages were on the agenda, it’s unlikely that wages would substantially change due to the introduction of Bill 124 (Protecting a Sustainable Public Sector for Future Generations Act, 2019). Bill 124 caps increases in salaries for the entire public sector at one percent per year. This means that, even if increased student wages were on the table, they would be capped at a one percent increase, getting summer students nowhere near the wages they need to make a living in Toronto.
It is worth noting that some organizations have asserted that Bill 124 violates the right to collectively bargain, and there may be a challenge in the works. Unfortunately, at least for now, if you’re hoping to work for the Ontario government this summer, try not to max out your line of credit beforehand—you might need it!
