'When you gotta go, you gotta go:' Eastern Ontario truck drivers welcome proposed legislation allowing delivery workers to access bathrooms
A proposed new Ontario law may soon bring relief to those working behind the wheel.
The Ontario government will introduce legislation that would allow delivery workers access to bathrooms at businesses where they are delivering or picking up items.
Roland LaFlamme has been driving a truck for 50 years; but, with businesses restricting access during the pandemic, drivers like him don’t always have somewhere to, 'go.'
"Especially on that highway, here, on (Highway) 17," LaFlamme says. "After Pembroke, there’s no other place we can stop for a washroom."
The legislation, if passed, will apply to couriers, truck drivers, and food delivery workers access to washrooms.
"These workers have been there for all of us during the pandemic; we ought to be there for them; it’s time we give these drivers a break," said Minister of Labour, Monte McNaughton at a press conference Wednesday.
"This is something most people in Ontario take for granted but access to washrooms is a matter of common decency currently being denied to hundreds of thousands of workers in this province," McNaughton adds in a statement.
"When you gotta go number two, you think you can hold it?" says truck driver Howard Boudreau, while stopping at the Antrim Truck Stop in Arnprior, Ont. "When you gotta go, you gotta go!"
Boudreau says the pandemic has made life on the road tougher, and welcomes the proposed change.
"It gets frustrating sometimes, it does. I find it insulting at times when clients don’t let you use their washroom."
Steven Artuso just started driving for Uber Eats.
"Well, actually - yesterday during my first day, it was already a concern,” he says, while picking up an order outside of a west Ottawa McDonalds. "So, I’m sure for people doing it for over a year - yeah, that’s definitely a big concern for them. So yeah, I think it should be allowed."
Officials say the proposed legislation will only apply to businesses where workers are picking up or delivering items, and is not applicable to private residences.
The measures came after consultations through the government’s Ontario Workforce Recovery Advisory Committee, in which officials say they learned that delivery workers, including those who work for online platforms such as Uber Eats, are often denied use of washrooms at businesses.
The Ontario Trucking Association said in a statement that they are "thankful" for the proposed legislation.
Officials say that on average 203,700 people in Ontario were working as transport, bus, taxi and delivery drivers in 2020. During that same year, on average 30,800 people in the province worked as mail, couriers, messengers and door-to-door distributors.
With files from CTV News Toronto Multi-Platform Writer Katherine DeClerq
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.