Toronto restaurants could soon be banned from making servers wear heels

Bars and restaurants in Ontario could soon be prohibited from mandating that female employees wear high-heels at work.

Wait, what year are we in right now? Never mind.

Toronto MPP Cristina Martins is set to introduce a bill in Parliament today – which, for the record, is Oct. 17, 2017 – that amends the province's Occupational Health and Safety Act to protect workers from "being required to wear unsafe footwear as part of dress and uniform codes."

Today, I'm introducing the Putting Your Best Foot Forward Act 2017. Thanks to @Hys_Steakhouse & the Ontario Podiatrists Assn for supporting! pic.twitter.com/k6mzfu21cD

— Cristina Martins (@CMartinsMPP) October 17, 2017

Martins does not take aim at any specific employer in her release about the bill, but it's clear, based on the experts she quotes, that her "Putting Your Best Foot Forward Act" is directed towards the hospitality industry – and specifically, how some bars and restaurants treat women.

Employee dress codes at so called "breastaurants" (places known for having scantily-clad female servers) have been the topic of much debate over the past few years, both in Canada and abroad.

Totally barbaric to force women - like waitstaff - to run around all day in heels. Modern day foot binding! Thanks @CMartinsMPP ❤️ #onpoli https://t.co/o9xQDQ4DNa

— Gabrielle Gallant (@G_Gallant) October 17, 2017

Last year, an employee at a Joey's restaurant in Edmonton went public with her story about being told by management to wear heels during a training shift, despite intense pain and bleeding feet.

Servers from Moxies, Earl's, Jack Astor's and other establishments have since come forward with similar tales of strict, sometimes straight-up creepy dress code rules for women.

If this bill doesn't pass, I propose a bill requiring men working in any capacity in the same establishment to wear high heels too #equality

— Cristina (@Cricrifi) October 17, 2017

The Ontario Human Rights Commission came out against sexualized dress codes for women at work in March of 2016, and in April, the province of B.C. amended its own workplace legislation to ban employers from mandating that anyone wear high heels.