The Government of Ontario has announced a plan to provide three paid sick days through a temporary program ending in September. The proposed Ontario COVID-19 Worker Protection Benefit Program will pay up to $200 per day for workers who are sick, have symptoms, have a mental health issue or need to be vaccinated, and will be retroactive to April 19. The sick days would not have to be used consecutively and a sick note would not be necessary.
Once passed, the program will be administered through the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and will be reimbursed in full, the province says.
Addressing reporters today, Ontario Labour Minister Monte McNaughton also stated that the province has offered to provide funding to the federal government to double the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit payments, adding an additional $500 per week to eligible individuals, for a total of $1,000 per week.
Last week, Premier Doug Ford pledged that Ontario would soon unveil details of a paid sick leave program, claiming it would be “the best program anywhere in North America, bar none.”
