Health-care workers gather at Queen's Park urging Ont. government to vote in favour of 10 days paid sick leave
Frontline workers and supporters gathered in front of Queen’s Park in Toronto on Monday morning to call on the Ford government to vote in favour of Bill 8, which aims to provide 10 paid sick days and 14 additional days to frontline workers during public health emergencies.
The Bill, which saw its first reading on Oct. 6, is expected to be voted on in the legislature this week.
Ontario’s current paid sick leave program, introduced in late April, requires employers to provide employees with up to $200 of pay for up to three days if they have to miss work because of COVID-19. This program is set to expire on Dec. 31.
“This government’s three temporary paid sick days are completely inadequate and are set to end in the dead of winter when diseases can spread more quickly,” Dr. Naheed Dosani, a palliative care physician and member of the Decent Work and Health Network (DWHN), said in a statement issued Monday.
“We need to learn the lessons of the first waves of the pandemic. It’s past time for permanent legislation that protects our patients with at least 10 paid sick days.”
Supporters gathering at Queen’s Park on Monday presented clocks to politicians, “symbolizing the urgency of adequate and permanent paid sick leave policy.”
According to DWHN, Premier Ford was invited to attend the gathering but declined the invitation. Ford was in Orillia today to announce an expansion to the Second Career Program, which provides financial support to laid-off and unemployed workers.
“[It was] so powerful hearing from the people in this province paid sick days would help most,” Jill Andrew, MPP for Toronto-St. Paul's, said on Twitter after attending the event.
“Those on the frontline who lifted our province up from the worst of the pandemic. They deserve the same in return,” she said.
FORD FACED BACKLASH OVER CURRENT SICK DAY PROGRAM
The Ford government faced criticism from both opposition parties and health experts for failing to mandate paid sick leave sooner in the pandemic.
Ontario’s COVID-19 science table also criticized the current program, claiming that it did not go far enough and that something closer to 10 days would be more appropriate.
When asked by reporters days after the implementation of the plan whether the government’s program would be enough to lead to a pandemic best-case scenario in Ontario, Science Table Co-Chair Dr. Adalsteinn Brown replied simply by saying, “No.”
Representatives from DWHN are echoing that statement, highlighting that the Ford government has voted ‘no’ at least 25 times on proposed paid sick day legislation.
“[Ford’s] government has voted against paid sick leave over 25 times,” DWHN said in its release.
“Under immense pressure from health experts and the public, they brought in three temporary paid sick days. Health experts and worker advocates have been clear that extending temporary programs is not sufficient.”
With files from CTV Toronto’s Katherine DeClerq and CP24’s Joshua Freeman.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with Maple Leafs, dead at 79
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and was a member of Canada's team at the 1972 Summit Series, has died at age 79.
Fort Nelson, B.C., wildfire doubles in size as 3,000-plus ordered to evacuate
The wildfire that sparked Friday and caused evacuation orders for more than 3,000 people in Fort Nelson, B.C., and the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has grown to nearly 1,700 hectares in size, according to a Saturday morning update from the BC Wildfire Service.
Dutch contestant kicked out of Eurovision hours before tension-plagued song contest final
Hours before the final, Dutch contestant Joost Klein was dramatically booted out by organizers over a backstage incident. He had failed to perform at two dress rehearsals on Friday, and contest organizer the European Broadcasting Union said it was investigating an "incident."
IN PHOTOS Northern lights dance across the night sky in southern Ont.
From London, to Mildmay, Collingwood and St. Thomas, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.
Haitians demand the resignation and arrest of the country's police chief after a new gang attack
A growing number of civilians and police officers are demanding the dismissal and arrest of Haiti's police chief as heavily armed gangs launched a new attack in the capital of Port-au-Prince, seizing control of yet another police station early Saturday.
opinion How to use your credit card as a powerful wealth-building tool
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'We have no judge for you': Man's assault charges dropped weeks before trial due to lack of judges in Toronto
A man who was accused of sexually and physically assaulting a woman had his charges dropped in April, just weeks before he was set to stand trial in Toronto, due to a lack of judges in the region.