Halton’s Mayors and Regional Chair Urge Immediate Sick Leave Program

April 27, 2021

There is no more time to waste in implementing paid sick leave. Today, the four Halton Mayors and Regional Chair renewed our call for a paid sick leave program. This is the third call for paid sick leave from Halton’s elected representatives in as many months, including last week as we stood with the recommendations from the COVID-19 Science Advisory Table for Ontario.

We are encouraged by recent statements from Provincial representatives to implement a program. We urge immediate action.

The lives of our residents are at-risk. We will not kick COVID-19 to the curb without protecting our essential workers and their families. Our residents are exposed to COVID-19 at work and risk exposing their whole family, with potentially devastating consequences.

Our health system is at-risk. Sick leave is a form of preventative medicine and is far less costly than treating full-blown infections.

The emotional, physical and mental health toll on our community is staggering -- imagine having to choose between going to work, feeding your family, and potentially exposing your loved ones to disease.

Our economy is at-risk. Entire workplaces are now being closed when there is an outbreak. The better solution is to provide sick pay for ill workers to stay at home, keep essential businesses running, and protect employees and their families from further spread.

In its present form, the Federal Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit program takes too long to be approved and its benefits are only available for a week at a time. Public Health guidelines recommend workers self-isolate for 14 days from their last exposure before returning to work. The federal program’s $500 benefit ($450 after taxes) currently falls below the minimum wage. The federal government has the ability to borrow from itself and set interest rates in order to help fund an adequate paid sick leave program in partnership with the Province.

Ontarians want to see all levels of government working together. As Ontario Premier Doug Ford has stated on this issue, “It’s the same taxpayer. We’re all paying the same taxes.”

This is now in the hands of the provincial government. It does no good to our community to see sick leave passed between levels of government like a hot potato. We are asking the Province to do what is fully within your powers and act now on paid sick leave.

Sincerely,

Halton Regional Chair, Gary Carr

Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, City of Burlington

Mayor Rick Bonnette, Town of Halton Hills

Mayor Gordon Krantz, Town of Milton

Mayor Rob Burton, Town of Oakville

Additional information:

• COVID-19 Science Advisory Table for Ontario Brief – Fighting COVID-19 in Ontario: The Way Forward

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For more information please reach out to the following media contacts:

Region of Halton: John.Winkels@halton.ca
City of Burlington: John.Bkila@burlington.ca and mayor@burlington.ca
Town of Halton Hills: Email Mayor Bonnette
Town of Milton: Carrie.Beatty@milton.ca
Town of Oakville: Christine.Davis@oakville.ca and mayor@oakville.ca