Don't expect the Municipality of Chatham-Kent to conduct mass inspections of workplaces and big-box stores like the province is doing.
Chief Administrative Officer Don Shropshire said the municipality is not equipped to do mass inspections because there are so many workplaces and stores in the area. Shropshire said it would be virtually impossible to inspect all of them. He said the most effective way is to report violations by calling the municipal public safety information line set up in the spring.
"If someone is concerned about someone [sick] coming into the workplace, whether they call the Ministry of Labour to do an inspection or it's the municipality coming in, we're pretty confident we're going to get that message [across] pretty effectively and quickly, in which case we take action," he said.
Chatham-Kent's Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Colby said the workplace outbreaks across Chatham-Kent have been very small and were contained quickly.
The province announced on Wednesday it is expanding its workforce enforcement campaign to make sure essential businesses are operating safely. Big-box stores are also the focus of the province-wide inspection blitz.
The Ministry of Labour said more than 300 officers will be supporting the blitzes, and will be visiting a variety of workplaces that are allowed to be open during the provincial shutdown such as retail stores, including big-box stores, restaurants providing take-out meals, essential service-sector establishments (such as gas stations), and farming operations.
Minister of Labour Monte McNaughton said the workplace inspections focus on areas of high transmission such as break rooms, adding the campaign provides resource materials to employers and workers to promote safe behaviour before, during and after work.
"We know, from inspecting over 23,000 workplaces during 34,000 field visits, that the vast majority of Ontario businesses are following COVID-19 requirements to protect the health and safety of their workers," said McNaughton. "However, if we find any employers are putting the safety of workers and customers at risk, we will not hesitate to take immediate action."
Dr. Colby also took some time to explain to local media why some local businesses closed and others didn't when someone tested positive for the virus. He said some retailers closed voluntarily once someone at the workplace tested positive for COVID-19 while the Walmart in Wallaceburg with five infected employees and under an outbreak did not close because it was not deemed to be a risk to public health. Colby said there were no public cases traced back to the big-box store.