Legislation covers menstrual products, virtual harassment
The Ontario government has introduced new measures aimed at making skilled trades more accessible to working women.
As part of the Working for Workers Five Act 2024, Ontario will require menstrual products be made available on larger construction sites. It is also mandating that washrooms are clean and sanitary.
The initiative is part of the government’s plan to tackle generational labour shortages.
“We need all hands on deck – but 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, immigration, training and skills development.
The new legislation encourages women to start a career in the skilled trades and help them reach their full potential, Piccini said, emphasizing that “an economy that doesn’t work for women, doesn’t work at all.”
The act entails:
- Making regulatory changes to Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act to require menstrual products available on larger construction sites
- Proposing legislative and regulatory changes to ensure that construction sites and workplaces’ washrooms are clean and sanitary
- Adding virtual harassment to the definitions of workplace harassment and workplace sexual harassment under the Occupational Health and Safety Act
- Engaging with harassment survivors, legal experts, and other stakeholders to create a duty for employers to act when workplace harassment has occurred
The Ontario government will also conduct a comprehensive review of critical injuries and fatalities in the construction sector, as well as a consultation to expand life-saving equipment types for construction projects.
The Working for Workers Five Act 2024 builds on the Ontario government’s previous four Working for Workers acts.
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