By Cecilia Nasmith
Northumberland-Peterborough South MPP David Piccini is pleased to share the news of the province's own paid-sick-leave program, the Ontario COVID-19 Worker Income Protection Benefit.
If this new legislation is passed, it will provide three days at $200 per day of paid leave for workers who do not feel well or need a vaccination – no notes or forms required.
The benefit is paid by the employer, who will be reimbursed by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.
Efforts continue to persuade the Federal government to double up Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit payments from $500 to $1,000. The Ontario program begins April 19 (retroactively) and both programs expire Sept. 25.
“Today our government became the first jurisdiction in Canada to introduce job-protected paid sick days since the COVID-19 pandemic began, addressing gaps in the Federal government's program,” Piccini said Thursday afternoon.
“We know that when we are working together, we can accomplish more.”
Piccini traced the effort's roots to last summer's alliance between Ontario Premier Doug Ford and British Columbia Premier John Horgan (NDP) in their call for a national sick-leave program. While the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit does get payments to those who need them within three days, there is still that gap. Fortunately – now – the Ontario program provides three days' worth of benefits worth up to $600.
“If you compare that to $500 a week (from CRSB), it's significantly more generous,” Piccini noted.
“But there's also our offer to the Feds to double the program. We are saying, 'We will match you dollar for dollar,' and we're waiting for them to come back to us.”
The important thing for Piccini is that two pieces of the puzzle have fallen into place – addressing that three-day gap and providing more support.
An important third piece for him was not to have this fall on the backs of struggling small businesses.
As the September expiry dates approaches, Piccini said the government will be open to re-evaluating the situation. But that date is no accident.
“This is why it's so important we work together with the Federal government on this program, so those dates align.”
Piccini expects legislation to be introduced right away and probably passed in short order. And being retroactive, it takes effect right away.
“This has been an issue that has been heavily politicized in the Twittersphere and in Toronto. In our community, people just want to know the government has their backs. This is why you've got to take the time and get the program right, rather than respond to the professionally outraged. There is no playbook for COVID, but what we can do is work collaboratively,” the MPP said.
“Ours is the first jurisdiction to have job-protected leave, the first jurisdiction to implement a lot of the rapid testing and screening in essential workplaces. We have taken strict Stay-At-Home and lockdown measures, and now we are the first jurisdiction in Canada to address gaps in the (CRSB) program.
“Premier Ford deserves a lot of credit for being the first mover on these things.”
Piccini noted that Premier Horgan came out on the day of this announcement urging that these gaps be closed, so he suspects BC will follow Ontario's lead again with measures of its own.
