We’re answering your questions about the pandemic. Send yours to COVID@cbc.ca and we’ll answer as many as we can. We’ll publish a selection of answers every weekday online, and also put some questions to the experts during The National and on CBC News Network.
We’re breaking down what you need to know about the pandemic. Send us your questions via email at COVID@cbc.ca and we’ll answer as many as we can. We’ll publish a selection of answers every weekday on our website, and we’re also putting some of your questions to the experts on the air during The National and on CBC News Network. So far we’ve received more than 43,000 emails from all corners of the country.
Can a store force me to wear a mask in order to shop there?
Some stores across the country have made it mandatory for shoppers to wear a mask, which has some of our readers, like Vel B., wondering if those policies can actually be enforced.
The short answer is yes, retailers can enforce the rule. But it can get more complicated in certain situations.
In the same way a store can tell you “No shoes, no shirt, no service,” they can insist “No mask, no service,” according to Michael Bryant, executive director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) and a former Ontario attorney general.
The argument can be made on the basis of health and safety regulations in their store.
“There’s no law backing the store up, but there’s no stopping the store either,” Bryant said.
Richard Powers, business professor at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, said that because they are private businesses, they can set the terms for their clients any way they choo