Ontario to get rid of temporary paid sick days, lift some COVID measures in LTC homes
Ontario to get rid of temporary paid sick days, lift some COVID measures in LTC homes
Ontario will soon end its temporary paid sick day program, The Canadian Press has learned.
The program that provided three paid sick days to workers during the pandemic will expire at the end of the month, two senior government sources said Wednesday.
The sources said it will not be replaced with another program, but they said the Progressive Conservative government will continue moving forward with its plan to provide portable health and dental coverage to workers without paid sick days.
That portable benefits program is intended to cover workers in the gig economy, retail and hospitality jobs who don't have benefits, and accommodate people who may change careers throughout their lives.
The sources were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to reveal details of Thursday's budget, which will mention the end of the sick day program.
NDP Leader Marit Stiles said her party was pushing for 10 guaranteed paid sick days for all Ontarians.
"(Premier Doug) Ford's Conservative government is no friend to Ontario workers," she wrote on Twitter. "People should never be forced to go to work sick just to put food on the table."
Ford's government first announced the temporary sick leave plan in the spring of 2021 after facing growing calls to bring in such a policy to minimize workplace spread of COVID-19.
Under the program, employers are reimbursed by the government for the paid leave days. Eligible workers can receive up to $200 per day for up to three days for pandemic-related absences like testing, vaccination, isolation or caring for relatives who are ill with COVID-19.
Ontario's labour minister said this week that the program has served more than 500,000 workers.
The government also said Wednesday that it is planning to lift some COVID-19 restrictions in long-term care homes beginning March 31.
The province said high vaccination rates among nursing home residents and staff have led the chief medical officer of health to begin easing some measures in a phased approach, starting at the end of the month.
Long-term care homes will still be required to monitor residents daily for infection.
Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore thanked Ontarians for their sacrifices over the past three years.
"Thanks to their continued efforts, Ontario has reached a point where it can begin a safe, cautious and balanced reduction of public health measures in long-term care homes across the province," he wrote in a statement.
"The health and safety of residents remains paramount, and we will continue to work with the sector to ensure residents and their families receive the level of care they need and deserve, in a safe and comfortable environment."
Beginning at the end of the month, testing will no longer be required for long-term care staff, caregivers and visitors who do not show symptoms.
The province said masking outdoors for residents, caregivers and visitors will no longer be recommended, but that recommendation will stand for staff who will be close to a resident outside.
Screening residents and temperature checks will also no longer required by the homes, the province said.
The province said it will also remove the cap on one caregiver at a time during a COVID-19 outbreak. Social activities will also be held without physical distancing.
The province is also encouraging homes that have retained vaccination passport requirements to revisit those policies and consider allowing visitors and staff inside regardless of their vaccination status.
Provincial data shows 5,335 nursing home residents have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic hit Ontario in early 2020. Thirteen long-term care home health-care workers have also died over that time frame.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 22, 2023.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada is committing another $500 million to help Ukraine's military fight back against Russia's invasion, including by sending more weapons. He made the announcement standing beside Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today during an unannounced visit to Kyiv to show Canada's support for the embattled country's fight against Russia.
Fires across the country are burning millions of hectares of land but what does that really look like? CTVNews.ca compared the blazes to some cities and lakes in the country showing just how big they have gotten.
Foreign interference special rapporteur David Johnston has resigned, CTV News has confirmed. In a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Johnston cited the intense politicization of his appointment and work, as the reason for his coming departure.
A Ukrainian-Canadian teenager is on an emotional journey to capture the destruction of the Russian invasion, including of his childhood home, on camera.
Former U.S. president Donald Trump is facing 37 felony charges related to the mishandling of classified documents, according to an indictment unsealed Friday that alleges that he described a Pentagon 'plan of attack' and shared a classified map related to a military operation.
A recent study published in the peer-reviewed journal Preventative Medicine Reports by a group of international researchers has found that post-secondary students with unhealthy eating habits can go on to suffer from disease and mental health issues for years to come.
Former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson shocked Britain on Friday by quitting as a lawmaker after being told he will be sanctioned for misleading Parliament.
Showers are predicted Saturday over the aggressive wildfire threatening Tumbler Ridge, but forecasters say thunderstorms could sweep through the parched region without bringing any rain.
Three of the province's nine Cree communities are threatened by wildfires, including Waswanipi and Mistissini. But only Oujé-Bougoumou, about 500 kilometres north of Montreal, has been evacuated completely.
The fierce battle to protect Quebec communities from forest fires continues on the ground as the Quebec forest fire fighting society (SOPFEU) reported 123 active forest fires on Saturday morning, nearly half of which were out of control. At last count, more than 13,500 residents remain evacuated, mainly in Chibougamau and Lebel-sur-Quévillon in Northern Quebec.
Fires across the country are burning millions of hectares of land but what does that really look like? CTVNews.ca compared the blazes to some cities and lakes in the country showing just how big they have gotten.
A neighbourhood pool in west London, Ont. may not be able to open this year because the federal funding it depends on every year to hire lifeguards has not come through.
Police have shut down a section of Highway 401 westbound between Woodstock and Cambridge after a crash involving a transport truck and an Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) vehicle.
The Waterloo Region Integrated Drug Strategy (WRIDS) is sounding the alarm after a significant number of drug overdose and poisonings were reported over the last few days.
A tenant displaced in the downtown Sudbury fire last month said her hotel is denying her request to move her room to a centralized location following an attempted break-in.
Fires across the country are burning millions of hectares of land but what does that really look like? CTVNews.ca compared the blazes to some cities and lakes in the country showing just how big they have gotten.
Ottawa police say four men were located on Clarence Street with gunshot wounds at approximately 1:30 a.m. Two of the men suffered life-threatening injuries.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada is committing another $500 million to help Ukraine's military fight back against Russia's invasion, including by sending more weapons. He made the announcement standing beside Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today during an unannounced visit to Kyiv to show Canada's support for the embattled country's fight against Russia.
Auditor General Nathalie Gougeon says the fraud hotline has been receiving approximately five to 10 reports a day over the past year linked to bus operator "compliance nature", and it is overwhelming her office.
Stevenson Memorial Hospital (SMH) in Alliston is warning residents about fraudulent activity within the community regarding an advertising opportunity.
A chance encounter is bringing a much-needed source of support to a woman who is running out of fingers to count the number of fights she's had with cancer.
Nova Scotia says it has identified more details about the records stolen in a file transfer service cyber attack, impacting teachers, students and health care workers' records.
Disturbing new details about a man accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting women in Calgary have come to light, as court documents exposing accounts from his alleged victims have been unsealed.
Ukraine's military reported intense fighting with Russian forces on Saturday, while the country's nuclear energy agency said it put the last operating reactor at Europe's largest nuclear power plant into a 'cold shutdown' for safety as Russia's war on Ukraine drags on through its 16th month.
Calgary firefighters scrambled to attack a grass fire that broke out in the southeast, near an Amazon warehouse, between Builders Road and Manitou Road, around 8:30 p.m., Friday evening.
The Moby Dick restaurant has been serving up its famous fish and chips on the White Rock promenade since it was founded by the Mueller family in 1975. But one local city councillor clearly isn’t a fan.
Authorities in West Vancouver say it's lucky more people were not harmed when a driver crashed his car through the entrance of a Whole Foods Friday, coming to a stop in the busy produce section.
Developer Beedie Living's condo tower was originally voted down by the City of Vancouver's Development Permit Board in 2017, but a challenge in B.C. Supreme Court and a shift in community sentiment have given the project new life.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith named her new cabinet Friday, about two weeks after her United Conservative Party took the majority of seats in Alberta.
