Ford Maintains Paid Sick Days Aren't Necessary In Ontario As COVID-19 Crisis Intensifies
TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford doubled down on his choice not to guarantee paid sick days to private sector workers Tuesday, even though one of his top health officials says it may be contributing to “dangerous” levels of COVID-19.
The premier said the federal government already has a program for people who miss work because of COVID-19. That program pays people after the fact, providing $450 a week for a maximum of two weeks.
“We aren’t going to duplicate areas of support,” Ford said.
A reporter at Tuesday’s news conference asked him what someone should do after they hit the maximum. She used the example of a parent who takes one week off after their child was exposed to the virus, another week when they had a sore throat and required a test, and then needs more time when they actually test positive.
“Great question,” Ford told her. “We’re going to work in conjunction with the federal government to make sure that continues, the support that is needed.”
He said he’s asked federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland to shorten the amount of time someone has to be off before they qualify for Employment Insurance (EI).
Ontario workers used to be entitled to 10 days off per year for illness and emergencies, two of which had to be paid. Shortly after taking power in 2018, Ford’s government cut that back to eight days and made them all unpaid.
Ontario has given workers the right to take time off without losing their jobs if they have to isolate or quarantine because of COVID-19. But the time off is unpaid.
One of the province’s top doctors said the lack of paid sick days could be contributing to the spread of COVID-19 a few hours before Ford’s comments Tuesday.
Some people don’t get paid if they take time off and may be worried about eviction, associate chief medical officer of health Dr. Barbara Yaffe said.
“That is a very important barrier that needs to be addressed so that people will do the right thing.”
Toronto’s top doctor...
