Correction: Ontario head offices may reopen on Friday, July 16, 2021 when Step 3 begins

Previously, RCC issued a member notice stating that Ontario had not removed the “work from home except where necessary” clause in Step 3, meaning that head office staff could not be broadly recalled to workplace settings. This stemmed from direct conversations we had with senior government officials where we were informed that this was the conclusion from a lengthy cabinet discussion on the topic.

Following the consolidation of O. Reg. 364/20 released yesterday, RCC immediately inquired about this clause, as it appeared to be revoked in the consolidated regulation. Further follow-up throughout the day saw government clarify its position with the following statement: “The regulatory provision of “work from home except where necessary” has been removed in Step 3 and businesses/workplaces need to make their own decisions, bearing in mind the workplace health and safety provisions that are required.”

In addition to this Ontario regulation, members should note that they must continue to follow any existing or new advice, guidance and instructions of the local public health authorities.

With this new information in mind, RCC would like to correct our previous member notice. While companies need to keep workplace health and safety continually in mind, members may recall all non-essential staff, including all head office staff, as of 12:01 a.m. this Friday, July 16, 2021.

We apologize for any inconvenience the delay in providing you with this information has caused. We will further highlight this information on tonight’s member webinar.