COVID law for business could aid insurers
Bill has potential to wipe out claims from patrons
TORONTO — A new bill in Ontario could make it harder for consumers to sue a business that was involved in the transmission of COVID-19, lawyers say.
Bill 218, which Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey has dubbed the Supporting Ontario’s Recovery Act, proposes protecting people from legal action if they made a “good faith effort” to stop the spread of COVID-19 after March 17.
When introducing the bill, Downey highlighted potential protections for “hard-working women and men who make essential contributions to our communities, from frontline health care workers to people coaching minor sports teams, to those keeping our supply chain moving, to people volunteering at the local food bank or those simply showing up for work each day despite the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19.”
The biggest impact will be on the long-term care industry, notes Mohsen Seddigh, a lawyer at Sotos LLP. But the bill also has the potential to “wipe out” claims from patrons at other businesses, he said.
The new law comes amid concerns of the ability of businesses to keep people safe.
An Ipsos poll released on Wednesday suggested that only 35 per cent of respondents
agreed that businesses are making an effort to ensure health and safety guidelines are followed.
That’s down from 69 per cent
of consumers who saw businesses making an effort in May, according to the online poll of 2,000 Canadian adults between Aug. 28 and Sept. 5.