Frequently Asked Questions
General
Q: How do I navigate to the collective agreement library?
Q: Do I need a log-in account to access the collective agreements?
Q: I can't open the file.
Q: I clicked on something on the page and it turns blank or doesn't load.
Q: I clicked on something and I got "Oops… something went wrong".
Q: How can I download more than one file at a time?
Q: I have accessibility issues, how will you accommodate me?
Q: I don't have a computer, how can I access the information?
Q: Can I get the collective agreement in a different file format other than PDF?
Search
Q: What are the ways to perform key word searches?
Q: I have searched for the name of the employer and I have been unable to locate the record.
Q: I searched for an employer and all I am getting are agreements relating to one specific industry, for example health services?
Q: I'm looking at the whole collective agreement library, can I sort the page?
Q: The search result came back with multiple agreements. How do I know which agreement is the one I need?
Q: I'm looking at the search refiners but I don't see what I need.
Q: I don't see more than 5 collective agreements on the page?
Q: How do I find collective agreements by specific locations (e.g., "Marathon, Ontario")?
Q: How do I find collective agreements by Ontario Labour Board areas (e.g., OLRB 8)?
Agreements
Q: Pages are missing in the collective agreement.
Q: When I open up the collective agreement there are random symbols on the pages.
Q: The collective agreement I downloaded is different from the search results.
Q: The file I'm searching for is located appears to be located in the wrong library.
Q: I'm looking for a collective agreement not found in your library.
Q: I submitted a collective agreement under s.90 of the LRA but I don't see it listed.
Q: How do I know if a new agreement has been uploaded to your site?
Q: The collective agreement I want is really old. I don't see it in your list.
General
Q: How do I navigate to the collective agreement library?
A: Please go to Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development website:
http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/ Select "Labour Relations".
Tip: You can bookmark the page in your browser.
Q: Do I need a log-in account to access the collective agreements?
A: No.
Q: I can't open the file.
A: Please click on the name and ensure you have Adobe Acrobat Reader (any version should work) installed on your computer. To obtain a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader please visit the Adobe site
https://get.adobe.com/reader/.
Q: I clicked on something on the page and it turns blank or doesn't load.
A: You may be experience a slow connection. Try using a different web browser software. This site has been tested for Internet Explorer 11 and Google Chrome. This site is not currently mobile browser compatible, but still can be viewed on mobile devices in desktop mode.
Q: I clicked on something and I got "Oops… something went wrong".
A: Close the browser, clear you cache and cookies and try again. If the message still appears, please contact us. To clear the cache and cookies in your browser, go to internet options in your browser and select delete cookies and delete browsing history.
Q: How can I download more than one file at a time?
A: Currently, the site has been optimized for singular downloads. However, you can open multiple webpages to download multiple documents.
Q: I have accessibility issues, how will you accommodate me?
A: Please click the accessibility
link at the bottom of the page.
Q: I don't have a computer, how can I access the information?
A: The CBIS Library located at 400 University Ave, 8th Floor in Toronto is open to the public on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 1-4pm.
Q: Can I get the collective agreement in a different file format other than PDF?
A: You can print and save the collective agreement. You cannot modify or extract pages. The files are full text searchable and allows for content copying.
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Search
Q: What are the ways to perform key word searches?
A: Here are some common ways for your keyword searches:
- Use
OR to expand your search to include more terms - make sure that you capitalize OR.
- Use
AND to narrow your search results.
- Use double quotes
" " to find exact phrases.
- Use property searches if you know for sure that a particular word is in the title or name of a document. You can use
filename:value to search for words in the file name.
- Use a wildcard "*" for variations of the term you are looking for or not sure about spelling.
For example, the employer's name is Grand & Toy. You can search for "Grand & Toy", Grand*, Grand OR Toy, Grand AND Toy.
Q: I have searched for the name of the employer and I have been unable to locate the record.
A: Try using the wildcard "*" in part of the name search. Alternatively, please review the
Agreements Listing to verify the proper spelling and formatting of the name desired.
Q: I searched for an employer and all I am getting are agreements relating to one specific industry, for example health services?
A: You may be searching in the health services library. Please refer to the main collective agreement page and search again by using the main search function located there.
Q: I'm looking at the whole collective agreement library, can I sort the page?
A: There are filter buttons at the top of each field column. You can sort be ascending/descending or filtered.
Q: The search result came back with multiple agreements. How do I know which agreement is the one I need?
A: There are search refiners to the search on the left panel of the screen to help you narrow down your search result. Try to refine your search by union and/or agreement term dates. Alternatively, you can hoover your mouse over each file name and more information about the file will appear in a call-out bubble.
Q: I'm looking at the search refiners but I don't see what I need.
A: Only the top 15 hits for employer name and union name will appear in the refiner list. Please refer to the Agreements Listing to help narrow down you search terms.
Q: I don't see more than 5 collective agreements on the page?
A: The most recent 5 collective agreements are listed on the page. To see the full list of collective agreements click the library name.
Q: How do I find collective agreements by specific locations (e.g., "Marathon, Ontario")?
A: There are a number of ways to find collective agreements by specific locations.
- Please refer to the
Agreements Listing and search by the column heading labelled 'location'.
- Search locations in the search bar by typing in the location(s) requested (e.g., "Marathon").
- You can also search by industry and location in the search bar by entering the location AND industry. (e.g., Marathon AND brick)
Q: How do I find collective agreements by Ontario Labour Board areas (e.g., OLRB 8)?
A: Please refer to the
Agreements Listing and search by the column heading labelled 'OLRB Construction Industry Areas'.
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Agreements
Q: Pages are missing in the collective agreement.
A: Collective agreements are posted as they are submitted to the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development. Please refer to the disclaimer for more information.
Q: When I open up the collective agreement there are random symbols on the pages.
A: The extra characters and symbols may be the result of the OCR (optical character recognition) process used.
Q: The collective agreement I downloaded is different from the search results.
A: Please contact us for immediate assistance and note the file name of the document.
Q: The file I'm searching for is located appears to be located in the wrong library.
A: Employers are listed by their main industry sector type. Please note the file name of the document and contact us for further assistance.
Q: I'm looking for a collective agreement not found in your library.
A: Collective agreement may not have been submitted to the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development as of yet. Please contact original employer and/or union for copies of your requested collective agreement. On the other hand, if you have an Ontario collective agreement that you did not find on this website, please submit a copy to
cbis@ontario.ca.
Q: I submitted a collective agreement under s.90 of the LRA but I don't see it listed.
A: It may take several business days for the collective agreement to be updated in this library.
Q: How do I know if a new agreement has been uploaded to your site?
A: The word "new" in the colour green will appear beside the file name. Also, the 5 most recent agreements will appear in the main sector library page.
Q: The collective agreement I want is really old. I don't see it in your list.
A: For older agreements please contact the Archives of Ontario.
Mailing Address:
The Archives of Ontario
134 Ian Macdonald Boulevard
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M7A 2C5
Email Address:
reference@ontario.ca
Fax Number:
416-327-1999![]( "Call: 416-327-1999")
Telephone:
1-800-668-9933![]( "Call: 1-800-668-9933")
Toll-Free Number (Ontario only)
416-327-1600![]( "Call: 416-327-1600")
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