First-ever paid sick day report of its kind, launching August 19 

We are excited to announce that we will be releasing a major report on paid sick days on Wednesday, August 19th.

It will be the first report of it's kind in Canada. Drawing on original worker interviews & health provider surveys, as well as the latest medical evidence, the report will outline best-practice policy guidelines for paid sick days across Canada -- during the pandemic and beyond. 

Using recent data, we emphasize that closing the gap on paid sick days is not just a matter of health equity, but also of race, gender, and income justice.

Be among the first to receive the report.

Join us in making sure that it reaches as many people as possible. Please share this link with your friends and colleagues, so they can also receive the report as soon as it’s out.

We will be hosting a virtual press-conference on August 19th at 10am that you’ll be able to watch live. If you’d like to share the report with your networks, host an event with us, or receive a “report launch kit” with supportive materials for promoting the big day, let us know by emailing: [email protected]. 

August 29 Pan-Canadian Day of Action

On the heels of the report launch, we will be hosting a Pan-Canadian day of Action for paid sick days. Currently no jurisdiction in Canada has adequate paid sick days. We need to continue the push for paid sick days to protect the health of our patients and the public.

To stop a second wave, governments must implement evidence-based paid sick day policies rooted in equity. To that end, we continue to call for paid sick days across Canada that are: 

• Universal: legislated for all and employer-provided, with no exemptions
• Adequate & Permanent: 7 permanent paid sick days + 14 additional days public health emergencies
• Accessible: No sick notes, no disruptions to income, flexible to reflect the reality of workers’ lives

Op-Ed: Universal, permanent paid sick days needed now 

In an op-ed for the Toronto Star, Decent Work and Health Network members and emergency physicians Dr. Kate Hayman and Dr. Jesse McLaren penned a response to the federal government’s temporary sick leave program. 

“This temporary measure will help some workers stay home while sick with or caring for someone with COVID-19, but it’s not the paid sick-day policy our patients need."

"We are concerned it will fail to protect low-income and racialized workers, the very people who need paid sick days most," they write. Read the full piece here.