Ottawa, ON — Amendments were made to Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) which came into effect on July 1.
Limited license holders and professional engineers will have the ability to provide advice and certification as currently required under the Act. According to the Ont. government in a press release, “This change will make it easier for employers to meet requirements under the OHSA while continuing to protect worker health and safety by ensuring that engineering advice and certification are provided by qualified engineers.”
An increase in the maximum fines permitted to be levied against officers and directors of businesses that don’t provide a safe work environment will be amended under OHSA. The new fine will stand at $1.5 million if convicted, while fines for other individuals involved will rise to a maximum of $500,000.
In addition, changes are set to be made to the Fair Access to Regulated Professions and Compulsory Trades act. This includes removing barriers for internationally trained individuals to get licensed in non-health-regulated professions and trades, including eliminating Canadian work experience requirements for registration and licensing.
Under the ministry of municipal affairs and housing, Ontario’s Building Code will be amended to allow for encapsulated mass timber construction for buildings up to 12 storeys, large buildings can be constructed with factory-built modules that can be assembled on the building site, and municipalities can design and administer their own building inspector internship programs when facing labour supply shortages.
Changes will also be made to the Planning Act and the City of Toronto Act, so that decisions around site plan control on new applications can be made by staff, instead of by municipal councils or committees of council.