Councillor ‘disappointed’ by veto
SYDNEY — Gordon MacDonald believes the idea of mandating paid sick leave, especially with COVID-19 still active, is important to not only preventing further spread of the coronavirus, but a good public health policy that should be made a permanent policy.
Unfortunately, the District 1 councillor couldn't fully convince his fellow Cape Breton Regional Municipality councillors and the mayor on the issue during Tuesday night's council meeting.
In a split decision, with Mayor Amanda McDougall's nay vote breaking the tie, MacDonald lost his bid to have the CBRM draft a letter to Premier Iain Rankin, Labour and Advanced Education Minister Lena Metlege Diab and CBRM MLAs to support updating the Labour Standard Codes to establish paid sick days for all workers.
“I'm disappointed that people who have paid sick leave feel others shouldn't have it,” MacDonald said Wednesday. “It wasn't like our council had to do anything major, other than to ask the province to support us."
The motion initially called for a request to the province “to enshrine 10 paid sick days in the next legislative session.”
“I even tried to amend the motion just on the basis of sick days (without a specific number),” MacDonald said. “And they felt even that wasn't good enough.”
Paid sick days have long been a contentious issue across Canada.
Last August, a report from the Ontario-based Decent Work and Health Network, a group comprised of healthcare workers and advocates seeking better health through improved working conditions, called on governments from all levels to allow for paid sick days in every jurisdiction across the country.
“Unfortunately, the temporary sick leave program that was announced by the federal government (in 2020) is not the policy that will protect our patients,” Monika Dutt, a Sydney-based public health and family physician and a member of the Ally Centre of Cape Breton, said at the time. “Paid sick days must be permanent and they must be absolutely universal.”
Added Carolina Jimenez, registered nurse and co-ordinator of the Decent Work and Health Network: “We now know that 58 per cent of workers in Canada do not have paid sick days.”
According to the Institute for Research on Public Policy, only two provinces offer paid sick leave: Prince Edward Island offers one paid day each year, while Quebec legislates three days per year. And any person employed in federally regulated sectors receive five days per year.
Back home, CBRM councillors who voted against MacDonald's motion felt that small-business employers already suffering financial blows due to the pandemic would have difficulty justifying the extra expenses incurred.
“There's a practical side of the discussion that needs to be explored … who pays, who will cover the costs?” wondered District 8 Coun. James Edwards.
Added District 9 Coun. Ken Tracey, “Speaking with some of business people in my area of town, when I brought this up, the response I received was, ‘Hold on one second here; I'll go get you the keys to the business now. If that happens, I can't see us hanging around much longer.'”
MacDonald, for his part, said while he can “appreciate the concerns over small businesses … this is a bigger picture view: This isn't only about those workers; it's about the Walmart, McDonald's, Subway franchises, grocery chains, or people who pick up your garbage … not all of those workers have paid sick leaves available.
“This pandemic has shown that every worker in our province needs paid sick leave — especially if you can't afford to stay home if you are somebody making small wages, and you have children.”