Act 27: what if it's not a burden, but an asset?

Monday evening, stuck in traffic on Highway 20. An SME owner from Boucherville has the radio on in the background. Today's topic? Mental health in Quebec businesses. On 98.5, an HR expert is talking about Act 27 and what changes on October 1. Prevention program, health and safety committee, work overload… He turns up the volume.

Then one line makes him smile. In the field, the guest explains, many business owners mostly see the law as "a burden, as extra paperwork" (Paméla Bérubé, Go RH, 98.5, 2026, translated).

He recognizes himself and lets out a sigh. Yet another new obligation for business owners... But what if we looked at it differently?

A burden? That's usually the first reaction

Let's be honest: when a new obligation lands on your desk, enthusiasm is rarely the first reflex. One more form, one more committee, time you don't have.

That's exactly what we see among business owners. And it's understandable. But that view misses the point: Act 27 isn't asking you to fill out paperwork, it's asking you to understand what's going on in your teams. And that's information most leaders would love to have, law or no law.

Because knowing what's holding your teams back means knowing exactly what to put in place to help them perform better: balancing the workload, clarifying roles, recognizing a job well done. Instead of guessing, you invest your efforts where they'll have the most impact.

The first inspections have begun… for information purposes

Good news for anyone picturing an inspector showing up with a ticket book: the first inspections are fairly flexible. Inspectors mainly come to explain the law, remind you of your obligations and encourage you to get into compliance.

But it's worth reading that signal correctly. If the CNESST is taking the time to visit businesses to inform them, it's laying the groundwork. Over the coming months, expectations will likely become firmer. The companies that use this period to get properly equipped will be the ones that face what comes next with the most peace of mind.

What the law asks, in plain terms

Act 27's permanent regime came into force on October 1, 2025, and employers had one year to put their prevention program in place (CNESST, 2025). When it comes to obligations, it all depends on how many workers are in your establishment:

• Fewer than 20 workers? A health and safety action plan and a liaison officer chosen from among your employees.

• 20 workers or more? A full prevention program, a health and safety committee and a health and safety representative.

Either way, psychosocial risks have to be included, on the same footing as physical risks. Overload, lack of recognition, little support between colleagues: all of it must be identified, analyzed and monitored.

And it's not a one time exercise. The program must be updated every year and shared with the health and safety committee, if there is one. Every three years, the employer will have to send the CNESST its priorities, the progress of its measures and how they've been followed up (CNESST).

Why it's an asset (not a burden)

Look at what the law asks you to measure: workload, recognition, support, autonomy. Those are exactly the things that make a good employee stay… or leave. And ignoring them comes with a very real price tag.

• Fewer absences, fewer work stoppages. Psychological injuries are expensive. According to the IRSST (2024), psychological injuries accepted by the CNESST between 2014 and 2019 cost an average of $121,590 each, and their annual costs jumped 195% over that period. Spotting early what's exhausting your teams keeps a tired employee from becoming an employee on leave.

• Protected productivity. Nationally, the Mental Health Commission of Canada estimates that mental health problems cost Canadian employers more than $6 billion in 2011, through lost productivity, presenteeism (showing up without really being able to function) and staff turnover.

• Lower turnover. Every departure has a cost: recruiting, training, ramp up time, knowledge walking out the door. According to Gallup (2024), replacing a frontline employee costs about 40% of their salary, a technical professional 80% and a manager up to 200%. And in the same study of American workers, 42% of employees who left voluntarily said their employer could have kept them. More than four in ten departures were preventable.

• A real return on investment. This isn't money down the drain. According to a UK analysis by Deloitte (2024) covering 26 studies, every pound invested in employee mental health returns an average of £4.70 in productivity. That's nearly five times the investment. And returns are even higher when you act early, through prevention, rather than once someone is already struggling. Which is exactly what Act 27 asks you to do.

Bottom line: Act 27 nudges you to do what the best managers already do: listen, spot what's wearing teams down before it escalates, and act. Compliance then becomes a side effect of better management, not an end in itself.

The real challenge is gathering that information the right way. A slippery floor is easy to spot. An employee running on empty, much less so. That's why it matters to rely on validated, confidential questionnaires, and to be able to compare your results year over year to see whether the measures you've put in place are paying off.

The last word

Act 27 can feel like a constraint or like an opportunity. Done right, it gives you a real read on what drains or drives your teams. Seeing psychosocial risk prevention as an investment rather than paperwork means protecting your people, keeping your talent and moving forward calmly as expectations take shape.

Feeling a bit lost in the process? At Mentalia, we support Quebec businesses through every step. To learn more, book a 30 minute call with us.

Sources

• 98.5 Montréal, Santé mentale au travail : ce qui change dès mercredi, interview with Paméla Bérubé (Go RH), September 28, 2026: link

• CNESST, Un nouveau règlement favorisant la prévention dès le 1er octobre 2025 (press release, 2025): link

• CNESST, Mécanismes de prévention et de participation en établissement: link

• CNESST, Programme de prévention pour un établissement: link

• Carrefour RH (Ordre des CRHA), M. G. Bélanger and F. Dalpé (Fasken), Loi 27 : l'essentiel à retenir pour les employeurs (2026): link

• IRSST, Lebeau, Bilodeau and Busque, Le coût des lésions psychologiques liées au travail au Québec (2024): link

• Mental Health Commission of Canada, La santé mentale en milieu de travail: link

• Gallup, 42% of Employee Turnover Is Preventable but Often Ignored (2024): link

• Deloitte UK, Poor mental health costs UK employers £51 billion a year for employees (press release, 2024): link