Inspectors dispatched to enforce COVID rules at local small businesses

The provincial government will be sending inspectors to Windsor-essex this weekend as part of efforts to ensure COVID-19 safety compliance at small businesses.

Ontario's Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development announced the campaign on Wednesday, along with others set to take place in regions across the province.

The inspections are scheduled for Windsor-essex this Saturday, with the co-operation of the health unit.

Theresa Marentette, CEO of the Windsor-essex County Health Unit, said she expects the inspectors will be prioritizing “higher risk businesses, such as personal service settings, restaurants, bars, and larger retail stores.”

York Region will be subject to similar inspections on Friday and Saturday, and the Waterloo region will be visited March 11 to 16.

According to the Ontario government, the ministry is following up on a two-stage initiative: Workplaces and small businesses — most with fewer than 25 employees — were previously visited with a focus on education and safe reopening.

Provincial offences officers are now “shifting toward enforcing COVID-19 safety requirements, and issuing orders and tickets, if necessary,” stated a government release.

Dr. Wajid Ahmed, Medical Officer of Health for Windsor-essex, said enforcement of public health regulations must be “across the board.”

“It's not about big or small businesses. I think it's more about making sure our businesses in the community are safe, and providing the level of service everyone deserves,” he said.

News of the campaign came with the announcement that the province has hired 100 additional occupational health and safety inspectors to bolster enforcement initiatives.

Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development Monte Mcnaughton said the new hires have begun a condensed training program.

These recruits will begin making field visits — accompanied by a mentor — within five weeks of their start dates. They are scheduled to be fully trained and deployed by July 1.

“As the province continues to reopen, we need businesses of all sizes to do better, as there are no shortcuts to safety,” Mcnaughton said on Wednesday.

The government said that, since the start of the year, provincial offences officers have conducted more than 13,374 Covid-related workplace inspections and investigations across Ontario.

An estimated 9,480 orders have been issued so far this year, along with 373 tickets and 15 stop-work orders.

The province said its initiatives have included targeted blitzes of big-box stores, the farming sector, warehouses, and distribution centres.

“The most common areas of non-compliance were related to safety plans, screening, and masking,” the government stated.

We need businesses ... to do better, as there are no shortcuts to safety.