Ontario’s proof of COVID-19 vaccination requirement could eventually be made voluntary as part of a wider plan to loosen many remaining public health restrictions, sources have told CTV News Toronto.

The Ford government is expected to make an announcement next week on its plan to exit Step 3 of its “Roadmap to Reopen,” potentially paving the way for capacity limits to be lifted in restaurants, gyms and other settings.

Canada banned the cancer-causing mineral and products that contain it in December 2018, more than 30 years after the World Health Organization designated it as a carcinogen.

In a July letter to Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, Friends of the Earth Canada and several others say they’re still finding lots of products that contain asbestos for sale online.

As more Canadian construction workers retire, labour force pressures will continue to increase over the next decade and construction demands may, at times, outstrip the available supply of skilled workers in some markets, said Bill Ferreira, executive director of BuildForce Canada, who was part of the panel entitled Addressing Labour Shortage Issues.

“Approximately 228,000 individuals will be entering the industry over this 10-year period,” said Bill Ferreira, “We will be losing approximately 260,000 individuals to retirement over the decade (leaving a recruitment gap of 31,000 workers which increases when coupled with demand growth) requiring the country to find an additional 80,000 individuals to work in the industry.”

Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) is cutting premium rates in 2022 by $168 million, bringing the total reduction in premiums since 2018 to $2.4 billion. The government will also introduce legislation that, if passed, would allow for a significant portion of the WSIB’s current reserve to be distributed to safe employers.

Details were shared last week by Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development at Donut Monster, a local bakery in Hamilton whose WSIB premiums are being reduced next year.