Hastings and Prince Edward Counties/ Dec. 14, 2021 –
Ontario Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development and Hastings Prince Edward Public Health (HPEPH) are working together to ensure businesses are taking the steps necessary to keep employees, consumers and the public safe by ensuring operations are compliant with the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020.
Provincial offences officers will be visiting local businesses to review compliance and provide guidance about safe operations during a two-day inspection campaign on December 16 and 17. The multi-ministry team will be monitoring for compliance with the provincial proof of vaccination requirements and ensuring businesses have other necessary COVID-19 prevention requirements such as safety plans, capacity limits, screening of staff and patrons, and collecting patron contact information.
“With the more contagious Omicron variant identified in neighbouring regions, it has never been more important that businesses have the appropriate health and safety protocols in place to stop the spread of COVID-19,” said Dr. Ethan Toumishey, Acting Medical Officer of Health. “This campaign will help ensure businesses have the information and support they need to operate safely and keep their workers and customers safe.”
The team will be visiting a variety of venues as part of the campaign, including:
- restaurants, bars and other food and drink establishments;
- hotels and accommodations;
- selected retail stores.
Inspectors and officers are empowered to issue tickets to individuals who fail to wear masks and maintain physical distancing as required by the Reopening Ontario Act.
Businesses or individuals who fail to comply with orders made under the Reopening Ontario Act are subject to fines of:
- $750 for individuals;
- $1,000 for corporations; and
- $1,000 for obstructing others (including employees or other workers) from complying with the requirements.
Employers may also face fines of up to $100,000 for individuals and up to $10 million for corporations failing to comply with health and safety measures under the Reopening Ontario Act. Individuals found to be in violation may also be imprisoned for up to one year if convicted on prosecution.
Guidance to help businesses operate more safely during COVID-19 is available at Ontario.ca/covidsafety. Workplaces can also access the following resources to help raise awareness of COVID-19 safety in the workplace:
- COVID-19 worker and employee screening tool
- Developing a COVID-19 workplace safety plan
- Resources to prevent COVID-19 in the workplace
- Guidance for employers during breaks
- Break poster
- Lunch poster
- Keep it to yourself poster
- Workplace Personal Protective Equipment Supplier Directory
Local business owners or operators who have questions about current regulations are invited to visit our COVID-19 Resources for Workplaces web page, complete our online form, or call 1-800-267-2803, ext. 677.
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Media contacts
Emily Tubbs
etubbs@hpeph.ca
Maureen Hyland, Communications Specialist
mhyland@hpeph.ca
About Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health (HPEPH) is a public health agency that serves the counties of Hastings and Prince Edward from four local offices. We monitor the health of our local population, deliver programs and services within our communities, and help develop healthy public policies. We provide information and support in many areas to help improve the health and well-being of our residents. Together with our communities, we help people become as healthy as they can be. For more information, please visit hpePublicHealth.ca. You can also find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
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