Ontario’s government wants women working on construction sites to have access to menstrual products.
Labour Minister David Piccini says there’s a shortage of skilled trades workers, and a regulatory change that will require construction projects to provide the products could encourage more women to look to the trades for a career.
It’s called the Working for Workers Five Act, 2024, building on the province’s previous four Working for Workers acts.
“Under Premier Ford, our government is tackling the generational labour shortage previous governments left in their wake. That means we need all hands on deck – but when women represent only one in ten workers in the skilled trades, we have one hand tied behind our back,” said David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. “That’s why our government is introducing first-in-Canada changes to encourage women to start a career in the skilled trades and reach their full potential. Because an economy that doesn’t work for women, doesn’t work at all.”
For the first time in Canada, the Ontario government will make regulatory changes to the province’s Occupational Health and Safety Act to require menstrual products be provided on larger construction sites. The government will also propose legislative and regulatory changes to require employers at both construction sites and other workplaces to require that washrooms are kept clean and sanitary and maintain records of washroom cleaning.
Ontario’s proposed amendments would add virtual harassment to the definitions of workplace harassment and workplace sexual harassment in the Occupational Health and Safety Act, ensuring that workplace policies to address harassment in the workplace also cover online harassment.
The change to labour laws is one of several Piccini introduced in new legislation tabled Monday.
Written by: K. Freeman with files from the Canadian Press
