To make skilled trades more accessible to women and support women at work, the government says it will force larger construction sites to provide menstrual products and washrooms that are clean and sanitary.
It's part of the Ontario government's Working for Workers Five Act, 2024 act.
The legislation is the first of its kind in Canada.
"When women represent only one in 10 workers in the skilled trades, we have one hand tied behind our back,” said David Piccini, Minister of Labour. "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 to be provided on construction projects with 20 or more regularly employed workers and where the project is expected to last at least three months.
The government will also propose changes that require employers at both construction sites and other workplaces to require that washrooms are kept clean and sanitary and maintain records of washroom cleaning.
It will also add virtual harassment to the definitions of workplace harassment and workplace sexual harassment in the Occupational Health and Safety Act, ensuring that workplace policies also cover online harassment.
