Ontario to require menstrual products on construction sites

TORONTO — Ontario is set to solicit larger construction projects to provide menstrual products on-site.

Labor Minister David Piccini says the province is facing a shortage of skilled workers, and this regulatory change will help encourage more women to pursue trades for a career.

The change accompanies a new law introduced by Piccini on Monday, including a number of changes to labor law.

The legislation would see fines increased for breaches of the Employment Standards Act and remove medical note requirements for short absences in an effort to reduce the workload for overworked GPs.

It would also give wildland firefighters the same cancer, heart and post-traumatic stress coverage as municipal firefighters and create a new high school apprenticeship pathway.

It would also add cyberbullying to the definitions of workplace harassment in employment law so that online harassment is clearly included.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on May 6, 2024.

The Canadian Press