Ontario Supporting Women at Work

Province’s fifth Working for Workers Act will support women in the skilled trades, protect jobseekers and improve access to skills development

The Voice of Canada :

The Ontario government is introducing the Working for Workers Five Act, 2024, building on its previous four Working for Workers acts. The act contains a suite of measures to support workers, including requiring that menstrual products be provided on larger construction sites and mandating that washrooms are clean and sanitary. The legislation, the first of its kind in Canada, would make the skilled trades more accessible to women and support women at work.

“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 government will also engage with survivors of harassment, legal experts and other stakeholders to identify the most effective legislative or regulatory means to create a duty to act for employers where investigations have identified workplace harassment has occurred.

“Today’s announcement is another example of action our government is taking to make careers in construction and the skilled trades more inclusive and welcoming for women,” said Charmaine Williams, Associate Minister of Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity. “By further protecting their health and safety at work, the Working for Workers bill will increase women’s access to rewarding careers that both pay well and help create the stronger, more diverse workforce we need to build a better Ontario.”

Additional measures to address safety in construction will include a comprehensive review of critical injuries and fatalities in the construction sector and a consultation on expanding the types of life-saving equipment, such as defibrillators, to be provided on construction projects.

If passed, the government’s fifth Working for Workers Act will protect the health and dignity of workers and frontline heroes, impose tougher penalties on exploitative bad actors and open up new pathways for people to join the skilled trades. By continuing to put workers first, the government is building a brighter future for all Ontarians and ensuring our province remains the best place to live, work and raise a family.

Quick Facts

• Approximately one in 10 construction workers in Ontario are women, and approximately four per cent of workers in Ontario’s construction skilled trades-related occupations are women.
• Half of respondents to the Ontario Building and Construction Tradeswomen 2022 survey cited better washroom facilities as something needed to make construction more appealing to women.
• As of February 2024, 25 per cent of Ontario workers are working mostly from home.

Quotes

“Ontario continues to make great strides towards equity and safety in the workplace. Today’s announcement will accommodate the diverse needs of our workforce and is another welcome example of the government’s dedication to work environments of respect and dignity. Together, these measures bring us another step closer to a more diverse, equitable and inclusive skilled trades sector.”-Melissa Young, Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Skilled Trades Ontario

“Today’s Working for Workers Five bill includes welcome measures that will improve conditions on job sites across the construction industry in Ontario. Clean, functioning washrooms should be the right of every worker, male or female. Providing menstrual products on every job site is a tangible way to level the playing field for women on site and we look forward to continuing to work with the government to roll out these new measures to ensure they have the intended impact across the province.”-Karen Pullen
Chair, Ontario Building and Construction Tradeswomen (OBCT)

“The Ontario General Contractors Association and our members applaud Minister Piccini for elevating the health and safety of all workers through the fifth Working for Workers bill and taking action on a serious topic in the most effective and efficient means possible. All workers must feel safe at work and that includes clean and sanitary workplace washrooms, including menstrual products, protection from harassment, regardless of the medium, and having the correct equipment on construction sites to safely perform the work. Having menstrual products on construction sites is a small cost for the overall dignity of the women working on those construction sites. The OGCA members welcome advancements that will keep all workers safe and ensure that our members continue to build Ontario.”-Giovanni Cautillo, President, Ontario General Contractors Association

“Local 787 is pleased to support Premier Ford and Minister Piccini as they introduce a new bill, ‘Working for Workers Five.’ We look forward to supporting the government to build its legislation as we safeguard worker health and dignity, ensure workplaces are sanitary and clean for workers, and that workers are better protected from harassment.”-Andrew Tarr, Business Manager, UA Local 787 HVAC & R

“Our government is committed to the growth and success of women in the workforce, and so we are expanding the sanitary standards, requiring menstrual products for females on certain construction sites, expanding current requirements for clean and sanitary workplace washrooms and cracking down on workplace harassment in an effort to encourage more women to join the labour workforce.”-Patrice Barnes, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development

“The Residential Construction Council of Ontario congratulates the Ford government for enshrining best practices that make our workplaces safer, more inclusive and more welcoming for all construction workers. Recruiting more workers into the skilled trades starts with ensuring workplaces are ready for all workers. We are happy to support these measures.”– Andrew Pariser, Vice President, Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON)

“Aecon has worked to establish more welcoming and inclusive work sites, through initiatives such as the Aecon Women In Trades (AWIT) program. We applaud the Ford government for introducing new measures that make everyone feel safe and included on their construction site. We are confident that initiatives like these will make strides in having people see the skilled trades as an inclusive and viable career option.”– Gordana Terkalas, Chief People Officer, Aecon Group Inc.

“This legislation represents the next step for some important changes to improve health and safety and make it easier to access WSIB services, especially for our hero firefighters. Everything we can do by working together to improve health and safety for anyone on any job is a good thing.”-Jeff Lang
President & CEO, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board