DOUG FORD BACKS DOWN ON WAGE RESTRAINT LEGISLATION

In a victory for nurses, teachers and thousands of unionized public sector workers, Premier Doug Ford’s government is backing down on another major policy — his controversial wage restraint legislation.

The sudden shift came Monday evening after Ontario’s top court upheld a Superior Court ruling that Bill 124 was unconstitutional and union leaders signalled they were out of patience.

A terse statement from the office of Attorney General Doug Downey said the government “will not appeal today’s Court of Appeal decision and will instead take steps to repeal Bill 124 in its entirety in the coming weeks.”