Toronto sets January date for city workers to return to the office, amid rising COVID-19 cases, Omicron uncertainty
by Kate Petyak | Oct 17, 2020
Following the announcement just a few days ago that the City of Toronto was setting up a testing site for employees, I sat down with the city’s deputy chief human resources officer, Heather Morrissey, for an interview that had to do with the coming into force of the Ontario Municipal Act, and what it means for city workers.
In a statement just days before the Act went into effect, Mayor John Tory, in anticipation of the coming in force of the Act, did offer the following words of caution:
“We want to make sure that all employees are well and can function properly in the workplace and we want to make sure that we get them home as soon as they’re medically capable. We think making sure that the workplace is sanitised and safe will also help,” said Tory.
“It’s something we’ll need to consider carefully.”
Tory and Morrissey talked about the coming into force of the Act, and their hope that city workers will be able to resume their jobs, hopefully as soon as next month.
The Ontario Municipal Act, 2018, came into effect on February 2, 2019, for the City of Toronto.
It was a surprise to many, that city workers were told the day after its February 2, 2019, proclamation that they, city workers, would need to be tested as part of the OMA process.
The OMA said it would be part of their OMA duties to ensure that:
City workers’ homes were sanitised, and all other common areas of their work place were cleaned and disinfected.
City workers’ workplaces were sanitised and disinfected.
All City-owned vehicles at all times had to be disinfected.
City-owned vehicles at all times were disinfected.
City employees in a designated designated area with designated designated areas were to be disinfected
