Ontario to require menstrual products on construction sites
The Ontario government will require large construction sites in the province to provide menstrual products as part of an omnibus bill set to be introduced Monday.
Labour Minister David Piccini says the requirement will apply to sites of 20 workers or more where construction is expected to last at least three months.
The Working for Workers bill, the fifth installment in a series of government labour legislation, will also require employers at construction sites and other workplaces to keep washrooms clean and sanitary and maintain records of cleaning.
In a news release issued Monday, the government said the legislation, which it described as a “first of its kind” in Canada, would make the skilled trades more accessible to women and support women at work.
“To deliver on this government's ambitious plan to build Ontario, we're going to need more hands on deck,” Piccini said at a Monday morning news conference. “But without more women in the trades, we'll have one hand tied behind our backs and I refuse to let this happen.”
The government says approximately one in 10 construction workers are women and according to a 2022 Ontario Building and Construction Tradeswomen survey, half of respondents said better washrooms on site were needed to make construction more appealing to women.
Also included in the bill is the addition of “virtual harassment” to the Occupational Health and Safety Act’s definition of workplace harassment and workplace sexual harassment. As well, the bill pledges to engage with harassment survivors, legal experts, and stakeholders to create a “duty to act” for employers to address workplace misconduct.
Parts of the bill were teased last week, with the government announcing bigger fines for “bad actor” employers in the province and expanded health coverage for wildland firefighters. Also included is the removal of sick note requirements for workers on short absences to reduce paperwork for family doctors.
Piccini is expected to table the bill in the legislature Monday afternoon.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Lanny McDonald and a few old Flames take the Stanley Cup on a surprise visit to the man who saved his life
The Stanley Cup was passing through town Friday, and Lanny Legend took it upon himself to take it for a surprise visit.
This Calgary home has a giant tree in the middle, and it's for sale
There's a luxury 'tree home' for sale in Calgary.
Chad Daybell sentenced to death for killing wife and girlfriend’s two children in jury decision
Jurors resumed deliberations Saturday on whether a man should be sentenced to death after being convicted days earlier of the murders of his wife and his girlfriend’s two youngest children in Idaho.
Robert Pickton stabbed with toothbrush and broken broom handle: victim's family
The family of one of Robert Pickton's victims says the convicted serial killer suffered an incredibly violent death at the hands of another inmate.
Father who killed one-year-old son with axe may be allowed to travel in southwestern Ontario
A Mennonite father who killed his one-year-old son with an axe may be allowed to travel to parts of southern Ontario in the coming months
Panama prepares to evacuate first island in face of rising sea level
On a tiny island off Panama's Caribbean coast, about 300 families are packing their belongings in preparation for a dramatic change. Generations of Gunas who have grown up on Gardi Sugdub in a life dedicated to the sea and tourism will trade that next week for the mainland’s solid ground.
Pedestrian dies after being hit by train in Brockville, Ont.
Brockville Police says a pedestrian has died following a collision with a train that was heading to Toronto.
'It feels like freedom': Why some Albertans like going nude in nature
Few people can say they accidentally purchased a nude beach — but Shelley can. When she saw a piece of land she could fondly remember camping on was up for sale, she inquired about it and ended up purchasing it. She soon found that there were already inhabitants on it.
Trump election victory 'very unlikely,' but 'possible': former FBI director Comey
Former FBI director James Comey says while he believes former U.S. president Donald Trump "will be defeated" in the upcoming presidential election, he doesn’t think it’s a given.