FEDERAL

Jan 31: Newly tabled Bill C-311 would amend the Criminal Code to make assaulting or causing physical or emotional harm to a woman knowing that she’s pregnant aggravated circumstances that judges must consider in sentencing.

Action Point: Use the extensive resources on the OHSI Workplace Violence Compliance Center to protect your workers from violence and harassment.

Apr 27: Newly passed Bill C-233 requires judges to consider, before issuing a release order for a person accused of an offense against their intimate partner, to consider whether to require the person to wear an electronic monitoring device “in the interests of the safety and security of any person.”

Action Point: Implement an effective domestic violence prevention and response policy at your workplace.

May 2: Debate resumed on controversial legislation (Bill C-21) to strengthen criminal law bans and import controls on handguns and assault rifles and increase penalties, including confiscations of guns, for violations.

Action Point: Use the extensive resources on the OHSI Workplace Violence Compliance Center to protect your workers from violence and harassment.

Jun 1: The Assembly passed and the Senate is debating controversial legislation (Bill C-21) to strengthen criminal law bans and import controls on handguns and assault rifles and increase penalties, including confiscations of guns, for violations. The bill would also make the national freeze on the sale, purchase and transfer of handguns that was imposed in October 2022 permanent.

Jun 21: The Senate is just one vote away from doing what the Assembly has already done, namely passing controversial legislation (Bill C-21) to strengthen criminal law bans and import controls on handguns and assault rifles and increase penalties, including confiscations of guns, for violations. The bill would also make the national freeze on the sale, purchase and transfer of handguns that was imposed in October 2022 permanent.

Action Point: Use the extensive resources on the OHSI Workplace Violence Compliance Center to protect your workers from violence and harassment.

ALBERTA

Apr 25: The new Alberta 2023 budget provides additional funding for domestic violence prevention programs, including counseling to help men overcome anger and abusive behaviours, as well as shelters for women and children victimized by domestic violence.

Action Point: Implement an effective domestic violence prevention and response policy at your workplace.

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Jul 26: Starting this fall, BC will provide funding to help small businesses pay for property damage they suffer as a result of crime and vandalism. Under the new $10.5 million Securing Small Business Rebate Program, small businesses will be able to apply for up to $2,000 for repair costs and $1,000 for vandalism prevention.

Action Point: Use the extensive resources on the OHSI Workplace Violence Compliance Center to protect your workers from violence and harassment.

Sep 6: From now through October 30, WorkSafeBC will hold public consultations on proposed changes to OHS workplace violence and harassment regulations. Highlights:

• New combined definition of violence and harassment as conduct reasonably expected to intimidate, humiliate, offend or cause physical or psychological harm to a worker.
• New employer duty to implement a violence and harassment prevention program.
• New process to resolve incidents without an investigation when the accused is somebody from within the organization.
• New incident investigation requirements.

Action Point: Use the extensive resources on the OHSI Workplace Violence Compliance Center to protect your workers from violence and harassment.

Oct 30: That’s the deadline to participate in public consultations on proposed changes to OHS workplace violence and harassment regulations. Highlights:

• New combined definition of violence and harassment as conduct reasonably expected to intimidate, humiliate, offend, or cause physical or psychological harm to a worker.
• New employer’s duty to implement a violence and harassment prevention program.
• New process to resolve incidents without an investigation when the accused is somebody from within the organization.
• New incident investigation requirements.

Action Point: Use the extensive resources on the OHSI Workplace Violence Compliance Center to protect your workers from violence and harassment.

MANITOBA

Mar 6: Newly tabled Bill 16 would amend the Domestic Violence and Stalking Act to require person party applying for a prevention order or protection order to disclose any existing orders or agreements between the parties dealing with parenting arrangements, custody, contact, access or guardianship.

Action Point: Implement an effective domestic violence prevention and response policy at your workplace.

Mar 6: Newly tabled Bill 16 would amend the Domestic Violence and Stalking Act to require the persons party applying for a prevention order or protection order to disclose any existing orders or agreements between the parties dealing with parenting arrangements, custody, contact, access or guardianship.

Apr 2: Manitoba launched a $1.3 million community-based sexual assault crisis response and healing program to provide support for survivors of sexual assault and intimate partner violence. The new program will complement Manitoba’s Provincial Sexual Assault and Intimate Partner Violence program.

Action Point: Implement an effective domestic violence prevention and response policy at your workplace.

Apr 11: Bill 16, which would amend the Domestic Violence and Stalking Act to require persons applying for a prevention order or protection order to disclose any existing orders or agreements between the parties dealing with parenting arrangements, custody, contact, access or guardianship, passed Second Reading.

Action Point: Implement an effective domestic violence prevention and response policy at your workplace.

May 30: Manitoba passed Bill 16 amending the Domestic Violence and Stalking Act to require persons applying for a prevention order or protection order to disclose any existing orders or agreements between the parties dealing with parenting arrangements, custody, contact, access or guardianship.

Action Point: Implement an effective domestic violence prevention and response policy at your workplace.

Jul 25: Manitoba and the federal government signed a bilateral agreement aimed at eliminating gender-based violence under which the province will receive $22.3 million from Ottawa over 4 years to implement the National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence in Manitoba.

Action Point: Use the extensive resources on the OHSI Workplace Violence Compliance Center to protect your workers from violence and harassment.

NEW BRUNSWICK

Nov 25: Third Reading for Bill 17, the Disclosure to Protect Against Intimate Partner Violence Act, that would allow people to apply to the police for access to private information about whether their partner has a history of committing intimate partner violence. Similar bills have been passed in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Action Point: Use the extensive resources on the OHSI Workplace Violence Compliance Center to protect your workers from violence and harassment.

Dec 16: Royal Assent for Bill 17, the Disclosure to Protect Against Intimate Partner Violence Act, allowing people to apply to the police for access to private information about whether their partner has a history of intimate partner violence. Similar bills have passed in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Action Point: Use the extensive resources on the OHSI Workplace Violence Compliance Center to protect your workers from violence and harassment.

NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR

Aug 2: Newfoundland will receive $700,000 in funding from the federal government to support crisis hotlines across the province for survivors of gender-based violence.

Action Point: Use the extensive resources on the OHSI Workplace Violence Compliance Center to protect your workers from violence and harassment.

NOVA SCOTIA

May 12: Criminal background checks are now mandatory for bouncers at late-night bars and cabarets. Bar security staff must also complete an approved security training course by July 1. At least one manager or supervisor who’s completed the training program and provided a criminal record check must also be on-site during opening hours.

Action Point: Use the extensive resources on the OHSI Workplace Violence Compliance Center to protect your workers from violence and harassment.

NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

May 24: The federal government announced that it will provide $500,000 in additional funding to support gender-based violence hotline services across the territories through March 2026.

Action Point: Implement a workplace violence and harassment compliance game plan at your site.

NUNAVUT

Dec 5: The Qaujigiartiit Health Research Centre will receive up to $428,000 in federal Women and Gender Equality and Youth for an initiative to end gender-based violence in Nunavut. Meanwhile, the GN recently launched a new educational campaign to promote awareness of firearms safety and prevent injuries from improper use, handling and storage of firearms in the territory.

Sep 29: The GN and federal government signed a pair of agreements to work together to end gender-based violence and support its victims. Nunavut will receive $17 million in federal funding for victim support over the next 4 years.

Action Point: Implement an effective domestic violence prevention and response policy at your workplace.

ONTARIO

Jan 4: The MOL launched an inspection blitz targeting workplace violence in the healthcare sector during the transition and transfer of patient care. Among other things, inspectors will be checking whether employers are providing workers with safety information at transition and transfer points, including information regarding a person with a history of violence who may pose a danger.

Action Point: Implement a workplace violence and harassment compliance game plan at your site.

Mar 29: Newly tabled Bill 88 would add a new OHS Act provision making it mandatory for gas stations in Toronto and other municipalities to require customers to prepay for gasoline before pumping from a pump with prepayment technology between the hours of 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. The measure, which is designed to prevent gas and dash violence incidents, would be phased in over 6 months.

Action Point: Use the extensive resources on the OHSI Workplace Violence Compliance Center to protect your workers from violence and harassment.

Apr 20: Second Reading for Bill 88 which would add a new OHS Act provision making it mandatory for gas stations in Toronto and other municipalities to require customers to prepay for gasoline before pumping from a pump with prepayment technology between the hours of 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. The measure, which is designed to prevent gas and dash violence incidents, would be phased in over 6 months.

Action Point: Use the extensive resources on the OHSI Workplace Violence Compliance Center to protect your workers from violence and harassment.

May 30: Newly tabled Bill 114, The Safe Night Out Act, broadens the OHS Act employer duty to prevent workplace violence to include “workplace sexual violence.” The name of the bill refers to the provisions requiring liquor license holders to implement an “evidence-based, trauma-informed sexual violence and harassment prevention training program” for servers, supervisors and security staff.

Action Point: Use the extensive resources on the OHSI Workplace Violence Compliance Center to protect your workers from violence and harassment.

Sep 20: Ontario will provide more than $4 million worth of Victim Support Grants (VSG) to victims of intimate partner violence, domestic violence, human trafficking, and child exploitation across the province.

Action Point: Implement an effective domestic violence prevention and response policy at your workplace.

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

Jan 26: PEI will provide over $120,000 in Violence Against Women Prevention Grants to 9 different community organization programs designed to support awareness, education, and active measures to protect women and young girls from threats of violence.

Action Point: Use the extensive resources on the OHSI Workplace Violence Compliance Center to protect your workers from violence and harassment.

Feb 3: The federal government announced that it’s giving PEI $500,000 to establish crisis hotlines across the province to help prevent and provide support to victims of gender-based violence.

Feb 28: PEI launched a new 5-year plan to prevent sexual violence in the workplace, home, and community and improve support for its victims.

Action Point: Use the extensive resources on the OHSI Workplace Violence Compliance Center to protect your workers from violence and harassment.

Aug 2: PEI and the federal government signed a historic bilateral agreement under which the province will receive $9.6 million over 4 years to implement the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence in the province.

Action Point: Implement a workplace violence and harassment compliance game plan at your site.

Oct 6: PEI is quadrupling the Violence Against Women Prevention Grant for community projects to enhance awareness, education and prevention of violence against women from $75,000 to $300,000 this year.

Action Point: Implement an effective domestic violence prevention and response policy at your workplace.

QUÉBEC

Dec 5: Victims of domestic violence who don’t want to file a complaint with the police can now talk directly to a prosecution lawyer about their case via the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions new free and confidential sexual violence information line, 1 877-547-DPCP.

Action Point: Implement a legally sound policy to protect workers from domestic violence at the workplace.

SASKATCHEWAN

Dec 6: Newly tabled Private Member Bill 612 would ban harassment and intimidation of abortion workers and patients in protective zones around the entrance of facilities.

Action Point: Use the extensive resources on the OHSI Workplace Violence Compliance Center to protect your workers from violence and harassment.

Feb 28: The federal government is providing Saskatchewan $1 million to support crisis hotlines for victims of gender-based violence across the province. Crisis lines are often the first-place victims go to report incidents and seek help. Nationwide usage of these lines has increased significantly since the COVID pandemic began.

Action Point: Use the extensive resources on the OHSI Workplace Violence Compliance Center to protect your workers from violence and harassment.

Apr 6: Newly passed Bill 117, The Saskatchewan Firearms Act, cushions residents against the impact of new federal firearms bans by establishing licensing requirements for seizure agents involved in expropriating firearms and ensuring compensation to those whose firearms are seized.

Action Point: Use the extensive resources on the OHSI Workplace Violence Compliance Center to protect your workers from violence and harassment.

Jul 25: Saskatchewan and the federal government signed a bilateral agreement aimed at eliminating gender-based violence under which the province will receive $22.3 million from Ottawa over 4 years to implement the National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence in Saskatchewan.

Action Point: Implement a workplace violence and harassment compliance game plan at your site.

YUKON TERRITORY

Apr 25: That’s the deadline for non-government organizations, First Nations and women’s organizations to apply for up to $25,000 in Yukon’s Prevention of Violence Against Aboriginal Women (PVAAW) project funding. Grants in 2023 are available for one-year projects only.

Action Point: Implement an effective domestic violence prevention and response policy at your workplace.

May 18: Yukon and the federal government began negotiations on the terms of a 4-year funding agreement to support efforts to implement the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence in the territory.

Action Point: Implement an effective domestic violence prevention and response policy at your workplace.

Aug 31: That’s the deadline to participate in public consultations on what Yukon can do to improve and expand services to support victims of sexualized violence. The government is especially interested in feedback from actual victims, which can be provided confidentially.

Action Point: Implement a workplace violence and harassment compliance game plan at your site.