Ford government offers to double federal sick leave payments, feds not on board

The Ford government is offering to double the federal paid sick day payments to $1,000 a week; a proposal the feds say is simply not good enough.

Rather than creating its own program, the Ford government has suggested to the federal government that it pay the difference and offer workers $1,000 a week rather than the current $500.

Ontario’s Labour Minister, Monte McNaughton, confirmed Tuesday that the province won’t legislate provincial paid sick leave as Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy says doubling down on the federal government’s plan would be the fastest way to enhance sick leave for provincial workers.

680 NEWS obtained a letter sent to federal Finance Minster Chrystia Freeland from Finance Minister Bethlenfalvy, in it Mr. Bethlenfalvy says the provincial government is prepared to make this commitment “immediately” and pay the full cost of the top-up.

This move, if it happens, would not address one of the biggest criticisms regarding the federal Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB), that it takes too long to get workers money.

Workers have to apply for support payments after they have lost money due to time off.

[pdf-embedder url=”https://www.680news.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/sites/2/2021/04/27/Letter-to-Minister-Freeland.pdf” title=”Letter to Minister Freeland”]

In response, the federal finance minister’s office tells 680 NEWS “When Ontario is ready to mandate sick leave in provincially-regulated businesses, as we have done for federally-regulated businesses, we will be there to help.”

“In fact, the wage subsidy was designed – and is already set up – to provide employers with financial support to pay the wages of workers who are on sick leave,” said Katherine Cuplinskas.

“The CRSB is there to help those Canadians who would otherwise fall through the cracks – either because they do not have a regular employer or because their province has not yet mandated that paid sick leave be offered.”

On Ontario’s paid sick leave request, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Freeland is engaged directly on this adding that the “Provinces need to look at the way to deliver sick leave directly through employers, which the federal government can’t do.”

Trudeau says Ottawa is in talks with Ontario as the province looks to provide paid sick days to workers, but stressed that such leave should be delivered directly through employers.

“We need to work together and provinces need to look at the way to deliver a sick leave directly through employers, which the federal government can’t do,” he said.

The prime minister says Ontario should work through provincially regulated businesses to implement a sick-leave program, as his government did with federally regulated workplaces.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath once again openly criticized Ontario’s approach to protecting residents, saying “Every delay of the paid sick days Doug Ford promised last week means more infections and more families devastated.”

“The federal program is not paid sick days and has already failed to save workers & stop the spread. #PaidSickDays must be immediate, seamless, and without barriers.”

RELATED:

• Majority of Ontarians support paid sick days for workers, diverting COVID-19 vaccines to hotspots

• Health workers continue calls for paid sick days; new COVID childcare benefits start today

Liberal House Leader John Fraser said the Ford government isn’t doing the hard work required to create its own paid sick day program.

“It’s a lazy approach,” he said.

The Ontario government has been heavily criticized for failing to bring a provincial sick-leave program during the pandemic, with experts saying it would help prevent workplace outbreaks of COVID-19.

The recent COVID-19 death of a 13-year-old Brampton girl whose father is an essential worker has renewed calls for an Ontario sick-leave program.

The Progressive Conservative government rejected opposition motions on paid sick and said it was waiting to see if the recently released federal budget included any changes to the program.

Ontario is reporting 3,265 COVID-19 infections and another 29 deaths.

Exhausted doctors and nurses are about to get some help from the military as well as a team flying into Toronto from Newfoundland.

There are now 2,336 people in Ontario hospitals being treated for COVID-19, including 589 who need a ventilator to breathe.

With files from 680 NEWS Parliament Hill reporter Cormac Mac Sweeney and 680 NEWS business reporter Richard Southern

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