Ontario plan to require menstrual products on worksites gets thumbs-up from local advocates

A London tradesperson as well as an advocate for women in the skilled trades welcome news of Ontario legislation that includes measures to encourage more women to enter the industry.

"I think this is a great first step," said Jamie West, a board member at the Canadian Association of Women in Construction.

"I think this is a step to showing women that they're wanted in the trades or in the construction industry and allows them to see that support."

Labour Minister David Piccini announced the legislation Monday. It includes a host of changes to labour laws, such as the requirement that larger construction sites provide menstrual products on site and the addition of virtual harassment to the definitions of workplace harassment in labour laws so that online harassment is clearly included.

"It's a situation where just having something really simple could make it much more appealing to go to work and stay at work for women," said Chelsea Phelps, a construction craft worker apprentice with LiUNA Local 1059 in London.

The legislation is dubbed the Working for Workers Five Act. According to Piccini's office, it focuses on sweeping changes to a variety of areas, including attempting to reduce barriers to employment and improving safety for front-line workers.

One area of focus for the bill is supporting women at work, the minister's office said in a news release. In addition to rules around menstrual products and better defining harassment, it includes a requirement that washrooms be clean and sanitary.

It also lays out plans for consultations with survivors of harassment that will be used to inform future legislation.

According to Phelps, some of the changes that benefit women could be beneficial for the industry as a whole. 

She pointed to situations she's been in where there hasn't been a single bathroom on site as a reason she appreciates rules surrounding bathrooms.

"It's easier for a man to sneak away and go outside, but it's not the same for women. I've had to ask my foreman if I can use the work truck to go and drive 20 minutes, sometimes to a bathroom to then drive back 20 minutes," she said.

"It's really taking away from job productivity."

In terms of the legislation's goal to include virtual harassment under the umbrella of workplace harassment, Phelps said that's a positive step as well.

"I think that there's still work to be done, but there's, especially with male-dominated industries, more focus on creating safe spaces for women. I think it's important to continue and broaden that focus for the construction industry."

'A good first step'

For West, the announcement was positive as well, especially in terms of accessibility for feminine hygiene products.

"I think it's important for everyone to understand, we often don't know when we're going to be affected by our period. It can be driving out to a job site, or in an important meeting," she said.

"You can be working in a really remote area and not have been prepared. Not being able to have access to some sort of feminine product can often mean that women have to make other adjustments, whether it's using toilet paper or other products."

West said she believes issues like these can detract from women's desire to enter the skilled trades, especially at a time when they're needed to fill jobs that are quickly opening as an aging workforce retires.