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Is your home care provider licensed? As of July 1, 2024, it’s the law

GEM Healthcare Services

Summary

Bad actors on Kijiji claiming they can provide ‘affordable’ care to your loved ones are about to find it a lot harder to take advantage of vulnerable people, now that temporary help agencies and recruiters have to apply for their license to operate by July 1, 2024.

Last July, we provided this overview of the legislation that GEM is now officially in compliance with. Their license number is BLA-0000005396.

But wait, if agencies like GEM are on top of this already, why should the public care?

Here are eight of the most important facts the public needs to know about this critical legislation:

1.Unlicensed caregivers don’t just live on Kijiji. Some home care staffing agencies have beautiful, professionally designed websites, but may not be licensed by the province.

2.The public can check if their care provider is licensed here. There is now a mandatory Surety Bond or a secured line of credit required by the agency, and a Provincial Tax Compliance Certificate in order to qualify for the mandatory licence. These stringent requirements illustrate the “high bar” of organizational requirements.

3.Licences will have to be renewed yearly.

4.There’s a cost attached to getting licensed and for the renewal to screen out the fly-by-night operations

The annual application fee is $750 and each agency is required to post a security bond of $25,000 to cover employees’ salaries in the event they go out of business.

5.Clients cannot knowingly engage or use the services of a temporary help agency that is unlicensed.

6.Penalties will be enforceable as of July 1, 2024 for anyone who operates as a temporary help agency with a license, acts as a recruiter without a license, for clients knowingly engaging or using an unlicensed temporary agency, or employers, prospective employers or other recruiters knowingly engaging or using the services of an unlicensed recruiter.

7.The penalties will be steep: $15,000 for a first contravention, $25,000 for the second and $50,000 for the third

Contact GEM today if you have any questions!

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