With businesses across the province doing their part to help “flatten the curve”, Ontario is starting to emerge from the pandemic as a success story. While we must remain ever diligent in our efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19, it is also important for our economy to take safe, yet important, steps to reopen.

That is why it was encouraging to see Province of Ontario to come out with an action plan and guidelines to get people back to work. Yet, to do so will require the cooperation of employees and employers alike to ensure that everyone remains protected moving forward. As such, it is important for employers to be aware that while they may start to operate their businesses again, it will not be business as usual. For instance, on April 30th, the Province of Ontario introduced safety guidelines that will provide direction to those working in the manufacturing, food manufacturing and processing, restaurant and food service, the agricultural service and the long term care sector. These guidelines are in addition to the more than sixty guidelines developed by our public health officials for various sectors such as retail, health care, construction, transportation, police services, firefighters, and transit employees.

It is important for employers to be aware of these guidelines and the new “normal” for operating during these times. Our team of dedicated employment lawyers remain available to address specific inquiries with respect to how these guidelines may impact your business.

The new Ontario back to work guidelines can be found here. 

Josh Valler, Associate