Ontario's COVID-19 Sick Leave Program Was Just Extended & You Can Still Get Paid Sick Days
The program is extended until the end of the year.
The Ontario government will extend its COVID-19 sick leave program until the end of the year due to growing concerns about the Delta variant.
Monte McNaughton, minister of labour, training and skills development, announced on Tuesday that the program, which was initially scheduled to end on September 25, will now finish on December 31, 2021.*
Our top priority remains the safety of Ontario\u2019s workers.\n\u00a0\nThat's why we're extending the Worker Income Protection Benefit to December 31, 2021.\n\nFull statement below:pic.twitter.com/phUNwAAePS— Monte McNaughton (@Monte McNaughton) 1630440486
"In response to new data showing the Delta variant is spreading faster and is more transmissible, we are extending our COVID-19 paid sick leave program until December 31, 2021, to ensure that we continue to get people vaccinated as quickly as possible and protect workers sick from this virus," McNaughton said in a statement.
The program was first installed back in April in an effort to prevent workers from losing pay for reasons associated with the pandemic such as self-isolating or getting tested and vaccinated
"Since the start of the pandemic, we've said that we would have workers' back," he added.
Currently, eligible residents are able to get paid up to $200 a day, for three days of missed work throughout the year.
*This article has been updated.