Demand Paid Sick Days for All

58% of Canadians do not have access to paid sick days. Without legislation ensuring paid sick days to all, over half of the country's workforce will not have this essential protection. The next pan-Canadian Day of Action for paid sick days is on Saturday, July 18 and we need your help to mount the pressure on legislators. 

Those being denied paid sick days are actually the ones who need them most. They are our patients who are working in low-wage, precarious jobs, who are disproportionately women and racialized workers. Paid sick days are a public health imperative and an issue of racial, gender, social justice.

On July 18, wherever you are, join us in demanding paid sick days for all

- Call your local elected representative -- find a script here

- Post a video of your call to encourage others to do the same -- see an example here

- Distribute flyers to your neighbours -- find flyers & posters here 

- Make a banner, chalk the sidewalk, post a selfie...

- And share everything you do on social media with the tag #PaidSickLeaveSavesLives! 

If you are planning an action in your community (for example, postering your local MPP office) or have resources you can share (like printed flyers for pick-up) sign up here so others within the network can get in touch with you.

COVID-19 has exposed glaring inequities in the workplace that pose grave public health risks. It is urgent that we put an end to the pay sick days gap by implementing paid sick leave that is:

- Universal: Legislated for all, with no exceptions

- Seamlessly Accessible: No barriers such as sick notes and without any risk to workers’ immediate income

- Permanent & Adequate: 7 permanent paid days with 14 additional days during public health outbreaks

- Feasible & Essential: Paid sick days are not a cost-burden, but an essential investment that pays for itself by keeping businesses going and the public safer and healthier

Kyle Hoskin, a sanitation worker in Niagara, spoke to us about the repercussions of having no paid sick days. "We routinely come into work sick," he says. "We’re all living pay cheque to pay cheque and that’s big cuts in our pay."

Watch and share Kyle's story on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram and learn more about how you can participate in the Day of Action here.