Ontario bill targets 'gender-based pricing'

Haircuts, dry cleaning and clothes could soon cost the same for men and women in Ontario if a bill currently before the legislature passes.

Liberal Lorenzo Berardinetti, who is pushing the bill to outlaw what he calls "gender-based pricing," says there is no good reason why men and women should pay different prices for similar products and services.

"I don't think it's fair that this price discrimination should exist." Berardinetti told CBC Television. "A dollar in my hand should be worth the same as a dollar in your hand or anyone's hand in the province of Ontario."

Women across the country are overcharged a total of $750 million for their hairstyling alone, according to Joanne Thomas Yaccato, a marketing consultant.

The bill, which would impose fines of up to $5,000 for charging women more than men, will be debated on April 14.

Hairstylists say the legislation would mean higher prices for everyone.

"We're not going to charge everyone a lower price,"says Nicole Kelly of Toronto's Shampoo Salon.

Sidney Chelsky, who owns a drycleaning store in the city, says women's blouses are more intricate and require more care in cleaning and ironing. He agrees, though, that if it is the same amount of work as a man's shirt, the woman should pay the same price.

The recently married Berardinetti said he didn't know how much more women paid until he went shopping for clothes with his wife, and noticed a men's suit that cost 30 per cent less than a similar women's outfit by the same designer.

The bill will be debated in mid-April.

California passed a similar law in 1996, but critics question its effectiveness.