On May 1, 2020, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced that certain Ontario businesses will be allowed to reopen their workplaces on Monday May 4, 2020. These workplaces are being reopened because they can immediately operate safely, in compliance with public health measures.
The following types of businesses will be allowed to reopen on May 4, 2020:
- lawn care and landscaping services;
- garden centres and nurseries with curbside pickups;
- automatic and self-serve car washes;
- auto dealerships (by appointment only);
- site preparations for construction projects; and
- certain essential construction projects, such as broadband telecommunications, municipal projects, and school projects.
Further, marinas and golf courses will be allowed to have employees perform preparatory work for opening their workplaces for the season beginning May 4, 2020, but will not be allowed to open to customers until a later date, which has not been set yet.
These businesses are being allowed to reopen in accordance with the government’s A Framework for Reopening our Province, which was released on April 27 and outlines the criteria Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health and health experts are using to advise the government on how and when to relax emergency measures (read our recent blog for an overview of the Framework).
Takeaways
This initial reopening is good news for employers operating workplaces that will be allowed to reopen, as well as their employees. Even for workplaces that do not have a firm reopening timeline yet, this initial reopening offers hope that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and we will see more businesses reopening as soon as it is safe.
As we have discussed previously on this Resource Centre, employers must ensure that the take every reasonable precaution for the health and safety of their workers in the context of the “new reality” that the COVID-19 pandemic has created. Failure to do so may endanger workers, customers, and the public, and may also result in liability to employers under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
To assist businesses in operating in a safe way once they reopen, the government released sector-specific guidelines and posters that contain recommendations on keeping workers and member of the public safe. The guidelines include advice on preventative actions, such as physical distancing and workplace sanitation (read our recent blog for an overview of the guidelines).
This blog is provided as an information service and summary of workplace legal issues. This information is not intended as legal advice.