OFL pushes for air quality and heat protections as wildfire smoke triggers repeated warnings
As wildfire smoke continues to trigger air quality warnings across Ontario and extreme heat threatens job site safety, labour groups are ramping up demands for stronger workplace protections—especially in sectors with outdoor and high-risk roles.
The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL), which represents over 55 unions, said it is working with the provincial New Democrats to introduce a motion this fall aimed at enhancing protections against heat and air pollution.
According to The Canadian Press, OFL president Laura Walton said current regulations only outline winter temperature benchmarks and lack standards for heat or wildfire smoke.
She added the initiative is part of a broader heat stress strategy focused on the effects of climate change on working conditions.
To support the fall legislative push, the OFL is deploying heat and humidity monitoring tools in workplaces across the province and surveying workers about their on-the-job environments, including whether air quality advisories were in effect.
Walton said the federation wants to present real-time data from this summer when the legislature reconvenes in November.
“When we go to (the legislature) in November and people are like, ‘Well, I don’t know what the big deal is because it’s freezing rain right now,’ we actually have data to capture what was happening this summer,” she said, as reported by CBC News.
According to Environment Canada, air quality statements have been issued multiple times in Ontario this summer, often worsening in a matter of hours as wildfire smoke drifts across provincial borders.
Alexandra Cournoyer, maritime operations supervisor, said the air quality in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) has deteriorated more this year than in 2024, though it remains less severe than 2023.
She added that while the GTA warning was lifted earlier this week, smoky conditions may return depending on wind and wildfire activity.
As per Environment Canada meteorologist Lucas Alexopoulos, rain forecast later in the week may help improve air quality.
The agency advises those with respiratory vulnerabilities to limit outdoor time during advisories, keep windows closed, and use high-efficiency air filters or portable air purifiers indoors.
Reported symptoms include throat and eye irritation, headaches, and in some cases, wheezing and chest pain.
According to Walton, raising awareness of safe working environments is essential so that workers understand how to request protections such as proper ventilation and air filtration when conditions deteriorate.
Michael Lynk, professor emeritus of law at Western University and a former labour lawyer, said the increasing frequency of air quality warnings should push unions to be more “aggressive” in asserting worker rights.
He noted that some unions are already embedding stronger health and safety clauses in collective agreements, including shutdown rights in unsafe environments.
Lynk added that Ontario law currently gives workers the right to refuse work if they feel unsafe due to heat or poor air quality.
“Just the threat of possibility of (refusing work), which is lawful under health and safety law, is usually enough to encourage or nudge employers to take union concerns seriously,” he said.
Lynk also pointed to the role of joint health and safety committees—which are legally required in Ontario workplaces with 20 or more employees—as a tool for advocating site-specific safety measures.
Several employers have already adjusted their policies.
As per CBC News, the City of Toronto has adopted a heat stress policy allowing rescheduling of work to cooler times of the day and providing cool spaces for staff.
The city also maintains an indoor air quality policy for its office environments.
With extreme weather events expected to become more frequent, Lynk said unions are likely to pursue firmer language in negotiations, and workers may act more quickly to refuse unsafe conditions.
“They’re going to be more diligent and more assertive in compelling workers to pay attention to this,” he said.
