Open Letter to Premier on Paid Sick Days, Coronavirus & Influenza

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Updated March 4, 2020: 

On March 3, 2020 public health officials confirmed the twentieth case of the novel coronavirus in Ontario. Public Health officials recommend that if you have mild cold-like symptoms, you should stay home while sick, avoid close contact to help protect others, and practice routine hand washing and disinfecting surfaces.

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February 4, 2020

Subject: Workers unable to follow Coronavirus health advice because of Ford’s labour laws

Dear Premier Doug Ford, Minister Christine Elliott and Minister Monte McNaughton:

On January 31, 2020 public health officials confirmed the third case of the novel coronavirus in Ontario. There is a second presumptive case. Public Health officials recommend that if you have mild cold-like symptoms, you should stay home while sick, avoid close contact to help protect others, and practice routine hand washing and disinfecting surfaces.

In fact, for many infectious conditions, like gastroenteritis and the yearly flu, the advice is almost identical. However, recent labour law changes under the Ford government mean that workers cannot follow this advice. In 2019, the provincial government rolled back paid sick day policies directly impacting the health of Ontarians. These policies have:

• Reduced job-protected Personal Emergency Leave (PEL) from 10 to 8 days, with zero paid sick days.
• Changed job-protected PEL from being flexible to prescriptive and rigid, with 3 days for personal illness, 3 days for a family emergency, and 2 for bereavement.
• Reinstituted a provision that allows employers to require sick notes from health providers when workers access their emergency leave.

Under current legislation, many workers in Ontario cannot follow their health providers’ recommendations to stay at home and rest because it means forgoing their wages. This includes workers in high-risk settings, such as those with food preparation duties, especially the handling of ready-to-eat foods, working in acute care or long-term care facilities, and working with children in childcare.

The medical literature consistently states that employees with no sick leave are more likely to go to work and expose others to infection. Additionally, research shows that workers have no choice but to send their children to school sick because they cannot afford to take unpaid time off or afford childcare. A lack of paid sick days results in children and adults transmitting infections at school and work, exacerbating contagion throughout the province.

A study on the 2009 H1N1 pandemic in the US, a country with no national paid sick day policy, found that 8 million people went to work while infected, spreading the illness to an additional 7 million people.

Evidence shows that paid sick days are a vital measure to decrease the spread of illness and ensure proper recovery. In the context of recent concerns with the novel coronavirus in Ontario, we consider the current provincial labour laws to be a serious threat to the health and safety of Ontarians.

In September 2019, the federal government implemented 5 PEL days for all federally-regulated workers, 3 of which are paid. In Quebec, a similar policy exists, providing workers with 5 days of PEL, 2 of which are paid. Our patients in Ontario must also be able to stay at home and recuperate from new and existing infectious threats. They will be unable to do so unless they have paid sick days.

Employment standards in Ontario provide workers with no paid sick days, only 3 days of job-protected leave for personal illness, and workers can be required to provide a sick note in order to access this leave. These provisions do not meet the health needs of Ontarians and create a direct individual and public health risk to Ontarians. We call on the provincial government to reinstate 10 days of flexible Personal Emergency Leave days, 7 of which need to be paid, and an end to sick notes.

Sincerely,

• Kate Hayman, Emergency Physician, MD
• Jesse McLaren, Emergency Physician, MD
• Carolina Jimenez, Registered Nurse, MPH
• Robyn Beckett, Public Health Professional, MPH
• Hasan Sheikh, Emergency Physician, MD
• Lyne Hamel, Infant and Child Development Worker, CYW
• Amy Soberano, Registered Social Worker, MSW, RSW
• Nicole Nitti, Family/Emergency physician, MD, CCFP
• Amber Brown, Nurse, RPN
• Sue Hranilovic, NP-PHC
• Gary Bloch, Family Physician, MD CCFP
• Anya Archer, Public Health Professional, MPH
• Susan Burgess, Primary Care Nurse, RN
• Joey Lee, Registered Nurse, RN
• Jessica Arteaga, Registered Nurse, RN
• Ahmed Bayoumi, Physician, MD MSc FRCPC
• Alice Gauntley, Research Assistant, MPH
• Susan Rosenthal, Physician, MD
• Leslie Solomonian, Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine, ND
• Michael Dyer, Personal Support Worker, PSW
• Rosalyn Haffenden, Public Health Nurse, RN
• Nancy Zhang, Resident Physician, MD
• Eden Wright, Registered Nurse
• Madeline McDonald, Medical Student, MSc
• Danyaal Raza, Family Physician, MD, MPH
• Donald Cole, Occupational, Environmental and Public Health Medicine Consultant, MD, FRCP(C)
• Arianna Livadas, Clinical Assistant, MLA/T
• Cheryl Eadie, Registered Social Worker, MSW RSW
• Jody Smith, Registered Nurse, RN
• Julia Barnett, Manager of Urban Health and CTS
• Emily Bellicoso, Medical Student, BSc Honours
• Chelsea Gagne, Client Support Worker, BA RSSW
• Sandra Rivas, Nursing Aid
• Philip Sweeney, Peer Mentor
• Lucy Manchester, Family physician, MD
• Patricia Swick, Social Worker, MSW
• Peter Saczkowski, Paramedic
• Bernard Ho, Family Medicine Resident, MD
• Caryn Green, Family Physician, MD CCFP
• Alexander Glover, Emergency Physician, MB BCh BAO
• Cheryl Eadie, Registered Social Worker, MSW RSW
• Shobana Ananth, Emergency Physician, MD
• Jesse Bauman, Medical student, BASC, MA
• Ricky Rodrigues, Research Operations & Access Officer, MSW, RSW
• Faiza Majeed, Family physician, MD
• Bryna Levitin, Physician, MDCM, FRCPC
• Sabrina La Tona, Social Worker
• Sarah Follett, Family Physician, MD, CCFP
• Arianne Di Nardo, Herbalist
• Amanda Whitten, Family Physician, MD CCFP
• Alissa Tedesco, Palliative Care Physician, MD
• Sarah Stonehocker, Emergency Physician, MD
• Melanie Spence, RN
• Trevor Morey, Physician, MD
• Jessica Gilbert, Registered Social Worker, MSW, RSW
• Mariah Hughes, Resident Physician, MD
• Michaela Beder, Psychiatrist, MD
• Jennifer Hulme, Emergency Physician, MD, MPH
• Hayeong Rho, Medical Student
• Terri-lynn Langdon, Social Worker, MSW, RSW
• Jasmine Waslowski, Medical Student
• Giuliana Guarna, Resident Physician, MD
• Susannah McGeachy, Nurse Practitioner, NP-PHC
• Llijah Pearce, Registered Nurse, RN
• Edward Xie, Physician
• Daniel Bierstone, Paediatrics Resident, MD
• Natalie Munn, Family Physician, MD
• Jordan Mak, Registered Dietitian, RD
• Jonathon Herriot, Family Physician, MD, CCFP, BSc, AAHIVS
• Anne Egger, Nurse Practitioner, RNEC
• Nisha Kansal, Medical Student, MD Candidate
• Ankur Chhabra, Public Health Professional, MPH
• Michael Kruse, Paramedic, MD Candidate 2020, AEMCA, ACP
• Daniela Graziano, Registered Nurse, RN
• Victoria Pho, Family Physician, MD
• Lauren Rodzynek, Paramedic, ACP
• Sehjal Bhargava, Medical Student
• Kim Hebert, Occupational Therapist, OTReg(Ont)
• Bev Leaver, Social Worker, MSW
• Karin Ng, Registered Dietitian, MHSc, RD
• Lindsay Coutts, MEd Psychotherapy Student
• Christopher Draenos, Registered Nurse, RN
• Vicki Mcgregor, Registered Nurse, RN
• Jill Macdonald, Social Worker, MSW
• Jeremiah Villanueva, Primary Care Paramedic
• Josiah Osagie, Resident Physician, MD
• Agatha Vanek, Paramedic
• Allison Rason, Primary Care Paramedic, A-EMCA, PCP
• Stephanie Sarmiento, Registered Nurse, RN
• Angela Musitano, Personal Support Worker
• Lesley Williams, Personal Support Worker
• Amanda Walsh, Public Health Nurse, RN
• Yue Dong, Medical Student, MSc
• Judy Stanley, Registered Nurse, RN BSCN MN
• Kelly Whiteway, Paramedic
• Najib Safieddine, Surgeon MD
• Fatemah Habib, Medical Student, PhD
• Rui Pires, HIV Worker, BAH
• Lily Rico, Paramedic
• Steve Thuraisingham, Paramedic, ACP
• Sarah Giles, Emergency and Family Physician, MD
• Mostafa Atri, Radiologist, MD
• Ushma Purohit, Medical Student
• Crystal Chan, Occupational Therapist, OT Reg. (Ont.)
• Imaan Javeed, Medical Student
• Flavia Federico, BSO
• Janine Moloney, Physician Assistant, CCPA
• Poonam Dhir, Mental Health Counselor, RP, CCC
• Katherine Grzejszczak, Advanced Care Paramedic
• Diana Whellams, Medical Microbiologist, MD
• Alison Charlebois, Family Physician, MD
• Martin Otarola, Front-Line Shelter Worker
• Lesley Barron, General Surgeon, MD
• Vincent Tang, Medical Student
• Jo Bayes, Registered Nurse PACU/ED, RN
• Nicole Nitti, Family/Emergency physician, MD CCFP
• Katrina Hui, Resident Physician, MD, MS
• Simone Smith, Personal Support Worker, PSW
• Bonnie Peake, Respiratory Therapist, RRT
• Maeve Freeman-McIntyre, Outpost Nurse, RN
• Allison Ouellette Family Medicine Resident, MD
• Sarah Reynolds, Mental Health Nurse, RN
• Mallory Cochrane, Family Service Worker, SR
• Ritika Goel, Family Physician, MD, MPH, CCFP
• Steve Oldridge, Family Physician, MD FCFP
• Joyce Rankin, Registered Nurse, RN
• Benjamin Langer, Family Doctor, MD CCFP
• Maureen Jamieson, Registered Dental Hygienist, RDH
• Joanne Diamond-Hayes, Dental Assistant Treatment Coordinator
• Alyse Schacter, MD
• Amy Connolly, Registered Social Worker, MSW, RSW
• Lisa Nussey, Midwife, RM
• Margaret Hess, Resident Doctor, MD
• Britt Harrison, Family Physician, CCFP
• Maxwell Tran, Medical Student
• Jackie Bellaire, Family Physician, MD
• Ann Duggan, Family Physician, MD
• Kathy Hardill, Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, NP
• Claire Slavin-Stewart, Medical resident, MD
• Betty Hum, Family Doctor, MD, CCFP
• Eleanor Colledge, Family Physician, MD
• Simran Dhunna, Public Health Professional, MPH
• Marie-Josee Klett, Family Physician, MD
• Nikhita Singhal, Psychiatry Resident, MD
• KitShan Lee, Family Physician, MD
• Eugenie Waters, Family Physician, MD, CCFP
• Conchita Fonseca, Family Physician, MD
• Omaima Kobaisy, Family Physician, MD
• Nimerta Dhami, Registered Midwife, RM
• Megan Schlorff, Pediatrics Resident, MD
• Sarah Partridge, Physician
• Simone Smith, Personal Support Worker, PSW
• Jennifer Purdy Family Physician, MD
• Kathy Kortes-Miller, Assistant Professor, MSW, PhD
• Leonor Separi, Medical Student, BSc
• Marnie Luck, Naturopathic Doctor, ND
• Laura Stratton, Family Physician, MD, CCFP
• Anne Chiarelli, Vision Rehabilitation Therapist, RN
• Loretta Urbantas, Registered Nurse, RN\
• Sonja Babovic, Resident Doctor, MD
• Kate Peiyin Zhang, Resident physician, MD
• Shannon Cohane, Family Physician, MD
• Dan Cojocaru, Family Physician, MD
• Hazal Mustafa, Family Medicine Resident, MD
• Amika Gupta, Public Health Professional, MPH
• Chetan Mehta, Family Physician, MD
• Jenna Schlorff, Public Health Professional, MPH
• Hannah Friedman, Biomedical Industry Worker, H.BSc, MPH
• Stephanie Napoleone, Resident Physician, MD, MSW
• Jenna Robertson Bly, Midwife
• Sana Gill, Medical Student
• Keeley Farrell, MPH
• Kelsey Henry, Program Officer, MPH
• Caitlin Fitzpatrick, Family Physician, MD CCFP
• Kapri Rabin, Executive Director, MSW
• Maryanne Condruk, Registered Nurse, RN
• Jordan Rendell, Registered Nurse
• Zahra Sayyed, Public Health Professional, MPH
• Kevin Lam, Resident Physician, MD

This letter was sent via email on February 4, 2020 to Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario; Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health; and Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development. Copying: Dr. David Williams, Provincial Chief Medical Officer of Health; Dr. Theresa Tam, Chief Public Health Officer of Canada; Dr. Eileen De Villa, Medical Officer of Health Toronto Public Health; Dr. Gary Garber, Medical Director, Infection Prevention and Control; Sandra Callery, Director, Infection Prevention and Control, Public Health Ontario; MPP Peggy Sattler, Employment Standards Opposition Critic; MPP France Gélinas, Health Care Opposition Critic; MPP Michael Coteau, Labour Critic; MPP John Fraser, Health and Long-Term Care Critic; and MP Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health for Canada