It looks like a provincial paid sick leave program is not coming to Ontario.
Labour Minister Monte McNaughton said that instead of their own program, which Premier Doug Ford said was coming last week, they want Ottawa to double the federal program to $1,000 per week with Ontario footing the increased costs.
In response, federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says that the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB) is there for Canadians who fall through the cracks because they don’t have a regular employer or because their province doesn’t have their own program in place.
Freeland adds, however, that Ottawa will be there to support Ontario when they’re ready to mandate sick leave in provincially regulated businesses.
As it stands right now, the only available support is through the federal government and only those missing work due to COVID-19 and those missing more than half a workweek currently qualify.
Paid sick leave has been recommended by experts as people with symptoms keep going in to work out of fear of not being able to pay the bills.
Two opposition MPP’s from northern Ontario are voicing their frustration.
Judith Monteith-Farrell (NDP) and Michael Gravelle (Liberal) tell Acadia Broadcasting that the province’s plan to push Ottawa to double the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB) to $1,000 per week isn’t an immediate solution.
“Disappointing is the polite word to use,” says Gravelle, the representative for Thunder Bay-Superior North. “That is not acceptable, we need to continue to push for paid sick days. This is a priority for not only the Ontario Science Advisory Table but also medical professionals across the province have pushed the premier to act on this.”
Monteith-Farrell, the Thunder Bay-Atikokan member, added it’s discouraging that the government has taken this approach. “When a Premier says that we’re going to have the best program in North America, and then fails to deliver, it is very disappointing.”
The Premier said back on April 22 that the Ontario government was actively working on a provincially run paid sick leave benefit to curb the spread of COVID-19.
(With Files From Kevin Jeffery: Thunder Bay)
