TORONTO — Truckers and other delivery workers in Ontario will get easier access to washrooms, thanks to a new law.
Labour, Training and Skills Development Minister Monte McNaughton will introduce legislation to let delivery workers use company washrooms at businesses where they are dropping off or picking up items.
McNaughton said couriers, truckers and people who deliver food are often routinely denied use of a washroom at businesses they serve.
Washroom access became an even bigger issue after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. when health restrictions or company policies kept doors closed.
Some businesses put up signs that said "no drivers beyond this point" or "washrooms for team members only."
In an announcement Wednesday, McNaughton said "This is something most people in Ontario take for granted but access to washrooms is a matter of common decency currently being denied to hundreds of thousands of workers in this province."
The minister added "Workers who deliver and pick up goods have been on the frontlines of the pandemic, ensuring that essential supplies continue to reach the people of Ontario."
Stephen Laskowski, president and CEO of the Ontario Trucking Association, welcomed the minister's announcement "for recognizing our drivers as the true heroes they are and encouraging everyone in the supply chain to do their part in treating drivers with respect."
Laskowski said Ontario's plan will serve as a model for other jurisdictions across North America.
About 204,000 people worked as transport, bus, taxi and delivery drivers in the province last year, and nearly 31,000 people worked as mail carriers, couriers, messengers and door-to-door distributors.
