The provincial government has found that about 30 per cent of businesses were not in compliance with public health measures after conducting a big box store inspection blitz in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area this past weekend.

Enforcement officials visited 240 big box stores to ensure essential workplaces and staff are following public health and safety guidelines, including wearing masks and physical distancing, as southern Ontario is currently under a lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19.

In their inspection blitz, about 50 ministry inspectors, along with bylaw and police officers, found 76 contraventions and that only 69 per cent of businesses were in compliance with public health requirements.

“This is truly disappointing. These corporations must do better,” Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development Monte McNaughton said during a news conference Wednesday morning.

“Shareholders have a responsibility to keep their workers and customers safe. I want businesses to know if they won’t operate safely in this emergency they won’t operate at all,” he added.

McNaughton said inspectors issued 25 tickets and that the fines ranged from $750 to $1,000.

But for more serious violations, individuals and directors and officers of a corporation can be fined up to $500,000 and up to a year in prison. The maximum fine for a corporation if convicted is up to $10,000,000.

The inspection blitz came after a provincewide stay-at-home order came into effect on Jan. 14, and after the launch of a “Stay Safe All Day” campaign.

The campaign focuses on conducting workplace inspections in areas of high transmission, including break rooms, at manufacturing businesses, warehouses, distribution centres, food processing operations, construction projects and essential workplaces, such as grocery stores.

Starting today, the province announced it will be expanding its inspection blitzes to more workplaces across Ontario.

More than 300 enforcement officers will be visiting a variety of workplaces including, retail establishments, restaurants providing take-out meals, essential service-sector establishments, such as gas stations, and farming operations.

McNaughton said the first blitz will start today in Hastings and Prince Edward Counties, followed by more campaigns in Toronto, Durham, Niagara, Windsor, Halton Region, Huron Perth, Peterborough, Kitchener and Waterloo, Hamilton and Leeds, Grenville and Lanark.

“We’re going to continue ramping up inspections in every type of workplace, including big box stores in every community across the province,” McNaughton said.

In Dec. 2020, only 67 per cent of workplaces were in compliance with the health and safety requirements after campaigns were done at workplaces in seven communities across the province, according to the government.

McNaughton said inspectors have made nearly 35,000 visits to workplaces across the province since the start of the pandemic in March.