Niagara committee calls for paid sick day legislation
St. Catharines councillor says the need predates COVID-19 pandemic
Niagara Region councillors are urging the Ontario government to mandate paid sick days for all workers, to ensure people won’t feel pressured to work when ill as the pandemic nears its oneyear anniversary.
Public health and social services committee members voted Tuesday in favour of a motion put forth by St. Catharines Coun. Laura Ip, adding their support to numerous healthcare and labour associations that have called for provincial paid sick day legislation.
Ip said legislation that would allow workers to recover their health without worrying about losing income is “simply the right thing to do.”
“Even before the pandemic, we had far too many people going to work when they were sick because if they didn’t they couldn’t afford to feed themselves and support their families, and they risked losing their jobs,” she said.
“We know that the lack of paid sick days has especially hurt Black, Indigenous, workers of colour, women and migrant workers who are far over represented in low-paying front-line and precarious jobs with few benefits and a reduced or no ability at all to work from home. And we know the lack of paid sick days directly impacts the social determinants of health.”
The motion endorses a report by the Decent Work and Health Network called “Before it’s too late: How to close the paid sick days gap during COVID-19 and beyond,” and directs regional council to send a letter to the health and labour ministers and Premier Doug Ford, asking that legislation be implemented through the Employment Standards Act.
Copies of regional council’s letter are going to be sent to local MPPS, MPS, the Association of Local Public Health Agencies, all Ontario boards of health, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and area municipalities.
St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik said the committee’s decision follows a similar motion approved by his city council.
“It’s great to see the momentum building,” he said.