Media advisory: WIPB extension recklessly abandons our patients without paid sick days

The Ontario government just announced that the province’s inadequate and temporary paid sick days are getting extended until March 31, 2023. Health workers have been clear that the Worker Income Protection Benefit (WIPB) is not the comprehensive paid sick days that are needed to address the crisis at hand. 

Just last month, over 270 health workers, including physicians, nurses and epidemiologists,  signed an open letter demanding 10 permanent employer-paid sick days. The extension of this inadequate program comes as a major disappointment for health workers who are at the front lines of this pandemic, saving lives. As Ontario experiences record wait lines at hospitals and a summer surge of COVID-19 cases, the government needs to urgently take action.

Please contact Denise Martins at 647-745-1989 or [email protected] to arrange interviews with health workers.  

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.