This weekend, the first since the latest stay-at-home orders took effect earlier in the week, Major Box stores throughout the province will face greater scrutiny.
Provincial labour inspectors would perform a blitz to ensure that laws on public health are followed.
In Toronto, Hamilton, Peel Area, York Region and Durham Region, Labour Minister Monte McNaughton says as many as 50 inspectors will tour shops, ensure that workers and customers wear masks, maintain physical distance, and meet safety guidelines.
In order to ensure that proper hygiene procedures are followed, inspectors will also go to workplaces where there have been outbreaks of the virus.
Anyone found violating the laws faces fines ranging from $750 to $1,000. If convicted, fines for a person can rise to $100,000 and a potential year in prison, while companies can be subject to a fine of $10 million.
McNaughton says the inspectors would also have the right to close a premise temporarily and separate groups of more than five individuals.
Toronto Police say they will concentrate their enforcement on companies and restaurants that do not obey the rules, meeting complaints and ticketing meetings over five individuals.
Although the stay-at-home order does not grant the police the authority to detain a car or a person on the street to verify if they are in compliance, if an officer has “reasonable and probable reasons” to believe that someone has breached the order, they may request the identification of the person to issue a ticket or summons. They may be arrested for obstructing a police officer if the person does not comply.
“The Toronto Police Service’s message is to stay home and stay safe,” Deputy Chief Myron Demkiw said. “In order to slow the spread of COVID-19 and try to keep our families and communities safe and to support our hospitals and healthcare workers, we each have a personal responsibility to limit our travel to essential reasons.”
— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) January 16, 2021
