Know your role and responsibilities

This section explains your role and responsibilities as an approved employer under the CSJ program. You are expected to comply with the Articles of Agreement. Please review them carefully before your project starts as these articles are legally binding.

To learn about best practices for managing your agreement, and to understand what happens if you do not comply with the Articles of Agreement, refer to the Keep your project on track section.

Employer-employee relationship

Because CSJ is a wage subsidy program, you need to meet certain requirements to use the funding properly. To receive the subsidy, you must establish a formal employer‑employee relationship with the participant.

This means:

• you must hire the participant as an employee (not as a volunteer or independent contractor)
• you must pay the participant wages or a salary
• you must have the authority to direct and supervise the participant's work, including:
  • setting tasks
  • determining hours
  • establishing working conditions
• you are responsible for:
  • hiring
  • mentoring the participant throughout their employment

Job requirements

You are expected to employ your CSJ funded participant(s) in the job(s) described in the agreement, for at least the number of hours and weeks indicated in your agreement. The CSJ program aims to support the creation of full-time jobs, defined as positions offering between 30 and 40 hours per week for a duration of 6 to 16 consecutive weeks. This requirement is designed to support high-quality job experiences that promote meaningful skill development.

While jobs are generally expected to run for consecutive weeks, exceptions may be considered on a case-by-case basis. If you anticipate a need for flexibility, please contact us.

If a participant has a disability or other barriers to full-time work, you must get written approval from us before making any changes to the number of hours in your agreement. Reduced hours are not eligible for reimbursement until we have approved the reason.

For additional information on supporting youth with disabilities, please refer to the Removing barriers in the workplace section.

Please note that we will not reimburse any hours worked beyond 40 hours per week.

Healthy, safe, and inclusive workplace

We want every CSJ-funded job to take place in a safe, inclusive, and healthy work environment free from harassment and discrimination.

You must:

• give participants clear information about health and safety rules in their workplace
  • you must also share any resources provided by the CSJ program
• provide training, guidance, and safety equipment if needed, so participants can do their tasks safely
• tell us right away, in writing, if a participant is injured while doing their job
• maintain a workplace free from harassment and discrimination, ensuring that all participants are treated with respect and dignity

Insurance requirements

You must have Workers' Compensation coverage or a similar insurance in place for each participant, as required by provincial or territorial regulations, for the full duration of their employment. You are responsible for respecting the regulations in your province or territory.

To access the list of Workers' Compensations boards in Canada and learn more about the requirements, visit the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) website.

Payroll deductions and remittances

As an employer, you are responsible for deducting, remitting, and reporting payroll deductions under the legal name of the organization and CRA Business number identified in your CSJ agreement.

Note: Mandatory Employment Related Costs (MERCs) vary by province and territory. Employers should check the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) website and their local authorities to confirm current rates.

To learn more about payroll deductions and MERCs, consult the CRA website.

Participant Information Sheet

You must provide the Participant Information Sheet to every youth participant funded through the program.

This sheet contains:

A link to the Young Workers website

The Young Workers website provides important information concerning health and safety, employee rights, employment laws and more. Please discuss it with them as part of their initial orientation in addition to your workplace-specific health and safety orientation and training.

CSJ contact information

Youth can contact us directly to address questions and concerns such as safety or harassment. Youth are encouraged to talk with their employer before contacting us.

A link to the Youth Participant Questionnaire

Although participation is voluntary, you must encourage youth to complete the questionnaire to share valuable information about their experience at the end of their summer job. We recommend setting aside time for youth during their work hours to complete the questionnaire.

Note: The link to the questionnaire is only available on the Participant Information Sheet attached in your approval email.