ADVISORY: 10 paid sick days for federally regulated workers come into effect today; patients in Ontario are still waiting for this basic protection.

Dec 1, 2022, TORONTO, ON - Starting today, workers in federally regulated industries, such as banking, telecommunications, airlines, and trucking will have access to up to 10 permanent employer-paid sick days annually. While this legislation has its flaws, namely that workers will need to accrue sick days on a monthly basis, it will provide a much needed protection floor for almost a million workers across Canada. 

Meanwhile, provinces are lagging behind in providing workers with adequate paid sick days protection. On Monday, November 28, 2022, Ontario’s Ford government voted against legislating 10 paid sick days for the 28th time despite repeated calls for action from health experts and widespread public support. The medical community is deeply concerned that three years into the pandemic our patients are still left with the inadequate Worker Income Protection Benefit (WIPB) – which is virtually useless providing  only 3 paid sick days for COVID-related reasons stretched over more than two years. 

Workers in federally-regulated sectors make up only 6% of Canada’s workforce. Without urgent action from provincial governments, the majority of workers remain unprotected as we go into the winter months when infectious diseases spread faster. Health workers have repeatedly called for 10 paid sick days to ease the current crisis in healthcare, including the unprecedented situation in pediatric units. Lack of financial support for patients to stay home if they or their children are sick will only exacerbate the crisis at hand. 

Health workers from the Decent Work and Health Network are available for comment. 

To arrange interviews, contact:

Sarah Shahid
Coordinator, Decent Work and Health Network
[email protected] | 514-415-4666

About the organization:

The Decent Work and Health Network is a coalition of health providers advocating for improving working conditions to help protect and promote the health of our patients. We are a group of doctors, nurses, health workers, and experts who have been leading voices for paid sick days as an urgent evidence-based public health measure.

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Background:

• The federal government legislated Bill C-3 in December 2021. It provides federally regulated workers with up to 10 permanent paid sick days annually as a minimum standard under the Canada Labour Code. This law comes into effect December 1, 2022. 
• As per this law, workers will receive 3 paid sick days after 30 days of employment, and then accrue 1 paid sick day per month up to a maximum of 10 days each year. Health experts have stated that this model undermines seamless access to paid sick days for patients. Unfortunately, workers could be denied access to adequate sick days when they are sick if they haven’t accrued them yet. Effective paid sick days must be available when workers need them – on the first day of symptoms, regardless of length of employment with no accrual period.
• In 2018, the Ford government canceled the 2 permanent employer-paid sick days that workers in Ontario had won in the Employment Standards Act.
• The Ontario government introduced the Worker Income Protection Benefit (WIPB) in April 2021 that provided 3 government-funded paid sick days for COVID-related illnesses only. This program remains highly inadequate according to medical experts and labour advocates. 
• The WIPB has been extended three times without adding additional days or making it renewable. As a result, it only offers 3 temporary sick days for a period of over 700 days. It is set to expire in March 2023.

Paid sick days legislation across Canada

• BC - 5 permanent paid sick days
• QC - 2 permanent paid sick days
• Federal - 10 permanent paid sick days that come into effect Dec 1, 2022
• ON - 3 temporary paid sick days for COVID-related reasons only, extended until March 2023
• MB - 5 temporary paid sick days for COVID-related reasons only, expired March 2022
• NS - 4 temporary paid sick days for COVID-related reasons only, expired May 2022
• PEI - 10 temporary paid sick days for COVID-related reasons only, extended until Dec 2022 & and, after 5 years of continuous employment with the same employer, a single permanent paid sick day.