Ontario is ramping up inspections to make sure businesses across the province are complying with COVID-19 health and safety regulations.
Labour Minister Monte McNaughton says 50 ministry inspectors, local bylaw and police officers visited 240 big-box stores across the GTHA this past weekend, finding at least 30% weren’t in compliance.
“Some of the contraventions found included physical distancing not happening, masking protocols not being followed, in some cases we know that, for example, Plexiglas wasn’t up between customers and staff.”
McNaughton says provincial offences officers will be visiting an expanded range of workplaces across Ontario to educate and ticket businesses that are not complying with health and safety requirements.
“We’re going to continue ramping up inspections in every type of work place, including big box stores, in every community across the province,” McNaughton says. “I will share with you there are a number of investigations from the weekend that are ongoing, and we’ll have more to say about that in the days and weeks ahead.”
Inspectors are also visiting farming operations across the province, focusing on locations that employ temporary foreign workers to ensure that health and safety laws are followed and that measures are in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
