Toronto: Today, April 29, Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development, will introduce legislation that would, if passed, require employers to provide employees with up to $200 of pay for up to three days if they are missing work because of Covid-19. This program will be retroactive to April 19, 2021 and effective until September 25, 2021, the date the CRSB will expire.
The province will partner with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board to deliver the program and reimburse employers up to $200 per day for each employee.
“Our government has long advocated for the federal government to enhance the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit program to better protect the people of Ontario, especially our tireless essential workers,” said Minister McNaughton. “It is a tremendously positive step that the federal government has signaled their willingness to continue discussions on the CRSB. Now we can fix the outstanding gap in the federal program so workers can get immediate support and can stay home when needed.”
The province has also offered to provide funding to the federal government to double CRSB payments to Ontario residents, adding an additional $500 per week to eligible individuals for a total of $1,000 per week. Combined with the province’s proposed three days of paid Covid-19 leave, doubling the CRSB would provide Ontario workers with access to the most generous pandemic paid leave in the country.
If an eligible worker learns that they must isolate for longer than 50 per cent of the time they would have otherwise worked for the week, whether because of a positive Covid-19 test or risk of exposure, they may apply for the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit if they haven’t taken a paid leave day under this proposal.
Employers and their workers can call a dedicated Covid-19 Sick Days Information Centre hotline at 1-888-999-2248 or visit Ontario.ca/Covidworkerbenefit to get more information and updates about the proposed Ontario Covid-19 paid leave days.
The province continues to visit workplaces to ensure they are adhering to Covid-19 safety requirements. Since the beginning of 2021, occupational health and safety inspectors and multi-ministry teams of provincial offences officers have conducted more than 21,900 Covid-19-related workplace inspections and investigations across the province. During these visits, more than 17,260 orders and more than 520 Covid-19-related tickets have been issued, and unsafe work related to Covid-19 has been stopped 35 times.
As the Ontario government continues to do what is necessary to control the spread of Covid-19, it remains vital for the federal government to secure more vaccines sooner and close the loopholes in border restrictions that will continue to allow new, more contagious variants to enter the country.
Quick Facts
- Currently, the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB) provides $500 per week, before taxes.
- Recipients are entitled to up to four weeks between September 27, 2020, and September 25, 2021.
- As of April 11, 2021, over $600 million of the $1.1 billion committed by the federal government as part of the Safe Restart Agreement currently remains unclaimed.
Backgrounder
On April 29, 2021, the Ontario Government will introduce the Covid 19 Putting Workers First Act, which would require employers to provide employees with up to three days of paid leave because of certain reasons related to Covid 19, including:
- going for a Covid 19 test
- staying home awaiting the results of a Covid 19 test
- being sick with Covid 19
- going to get vaccinated
- experiencing a side effect from a Covid 19 vaccination
- having been advised to self-isolate due to Covid 19 by an employer, medical practitioner or other authority
- taking care of a dependent who is:
- sick with Covid 19 or has symptoms of Covid 19
- self-isolating due to Covid 19
This plan is not yet in force and employees are not currently entitled to take this leave. We will continue to update this page with current information. For more information please call the Ontario Covid 19 Worker Income Protection Benefit Information Centre 1-888-999-2248 ( TTY: 1-866-567-8893).
If the legislation is passed, employers will be required to pay employees up to $200 a day for up to three days. The three days would not need to be taken consecutively.
Eligibility
If the legislation is passed, the three days of paid leave would only be available to employees who:
- are covered by the Employment Standards Act (ESA) (independent contractors or federally regulated employees would not qualify for these days. Learn more about who is an employee under the ESA.)
- do not already receive paid sick time through their employer
Doctor’s note not required
Employers cannot require an employee to provide a certificate from a doctor or nurse as evidence.
Employer reimbursement for paid leave
If the legislation is passed, eligible employers would be able to apply for a reimbursement of up to $200 per employee day taken, from the Ontario government. If the employee’s regular rate of pay is less than $200 day, the employer will only be eligible for a reimbursement of the employee’s regular rate of pay.
Eligible employers would need to make their application for reimbursement within 120 days of the paid leave.
Example
Sofia works in a grocery store stocking shelves. She normally makes $16 an hour and works 8-hour shifts, which is $128 per day. Her employer does not already offer paid leave. If Sofia is feeling unwell and takes a day off work to go for a Covid 19 test, her employer would be required to pay her regular rate of pay for that day and could apply for a reimbursement of $128 from the Ontario government for the wages she was paid while off work, if the legislation is passed.
Financial support for longer term absences
For longer term absences, the Government of Canada currently offers the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB).
The CRSB is currently available until September 25, 2021. If an employee needs to take more than 50% of the time they would have otherwise worked, they can apply for this benefit.