Ontario Protecting Workers on Construction Sites

May 27, 2025

• Our government is protecting Ontario workers that are building our province by requiring AEDs on construction sites.

• Just as Ontario was the first jurisdiction in North America to require naloxone kits in certain workplaces, we will be the first in Canada to require AEDs on certain construction projects—once again leading the way in worker protection.

• Our skilled workers are at the centre of our government’s plan to build highways, energy and key infrastructure. Ensuring lifesaving equipment is where it’s needed to keep them safe is one more way we’re creating safer workplaces.

• Every second counts in a cardiac emergency and AEDs can dramatically improve cardiac arrest survival rates by more than 50 per cent.

• To support businesses with the costs, a proposed program through the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB)  would reimburse constructors for the purchase of an AED.

• These changes are part of a larger proposed package that will expand on the ground-breaking actions across six previous Working for Workers Acts since 2021, which will be unveiled in the coming days.