Ontario bill will ban mandatory high heels as part of uniforms

An Ontario MP will introduce a bill on Tuesday that will protect women from being required to wear high heels at work.

The private member’s bill from Cristina Martins would revise the province’s Occupational Health and Safety Act and would forbid employers from mandating workers wear unsafe footwear as part of a uniform.

According to the Canadian Press, the president of the Ontario Podiatric Medical Association said wearing high heels causes a higher incidence of bunions, musculoskeletal pain and injury than those who do not wear high heels.

“Ontario podiatrists see far too many patients with injuries in the workplace that are entirely avoidable that are caused by wearing footwear that is inappropriate or outright unsafe,” James Hill said in a statement.

The Ontario Human Rights Commission issued a report in 2016 on gender-specific dress code, saying women who work in restaurants and bars should not be forced to wear high heels, short skirts and low-cut tops.

Earlier this year, British Columbia banned mandatory high heels in the workplace.