Ontario Labour Minister David Piccini, pictured in Kitchener, Ont., last year, says the new measure will be part of broader changes to labour rules.Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press
Ontario is planning to extend workplace safety and insurance coverage to health-care and support workers in privately run retirement homes and group homes.
Labour Minister David Piccini says the new legislative measure will be part of a broader set of changes to labour rules.
He says front-line care workers deserve to know they will be protected if something goes wrong on the job.
The government says privately operated residential care facilities such as retirement homes and group homes, including foster homes, are currently not subject to mandatory coverage under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act.
The government says extending Workplace Safety and Insurance Board coverage to those approximately 29,000 workers would ensure they are protected if they are injured or become ill on the job.
The staff that could be affected include nurses, personal support workers and resident care workers.