"Why this Uber Eats bike courier is at the centre of a dispute over gig workers' rights in Ontario," 6 Mar. 2022

An Uber Eats bike courier [Saurabh Sharma] is at the centre of a dispute over the difference between an employee and an independent contractor in Ontario — with critics saying a labour ministry ruling in his case contradicts a new bill laying out the rights of gig workers.

... The Ontario Ministry of Labour ruled ... that Uber maintained sufficient control over Sharma's working conditions that he was an employee rather than an independent contractor, and that his working hours included all the time he spent delivering orders and waiting for work.

... [T]he Working for Workers Act, introduced by Ontario Labour Minister Monte McNaughton ... , provides all gig workers a $15/hr minimum wage only for "engaged" time spent making a delivery or transporting a passenger. Critics say the proposed bill is in direct conflict with the ruling in Sharma's case and that the Progressive Conservative government is trying to deny gig workers rights that the ministry's decision suggests they're entitled to. 

... In an email statement to CBC News, Uber confirms it's planning to appeal the Ministry of Labour's decision. "This finding does not change the status quo — in which drivers and delivery people are independent contractors," the statement reads. The company says the ruling "goes against" other findings from the same ministry and similar agencies in Canada that see Uber drivers and couriers as independent contractors and not employees.