Ontario will extend its paid temporary sick leave program by eight months as the province continues to battle the spread of COVID-19.
The program, which offers up to three paid sick days per employee, will remain in effect until March 31, 2023. It was originally scheduled to expire at the end of July.
In a press release issued Thursday, the government said eligible workers will continue to receive up to $200 a day if they need to be tested, vaccinated, self-isolate or care for a family member with COVID- 19.
Doug Ford’s government first amended the Employment Standards Act in April 2021 to allow three paid sick days in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19 in essential jobs. The program was planned to last about six months, but has been extended several times.
The program remains temporary and specific to the new coronavirus. In December, Labor Minister Monte McNaughton said he was committed to providing three paid sick days during the pandemic.
“I’m going to keep my word and we’re going to make sure those paid sick days are there as long as COVID is here,” he said. “That’s front and center for me. It’s a priority. I’m going to make sure workers have paid sick days throughout this pandemic.”
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Labor told CTV News Toronto that there is no further update on whether or not the program will continue after the pandemic is declared endemic or included in the next budget.
In 2018, the newly elected Ford government scrapped a Liberal provincial paid sick leave program, arguing that it was up to employers to give workers time off if they require it.