LETTER

 

----   Can we avoid Alberta's Covid situation?

 

Alberta has twice the per capita active case rate as Ontario and is now the highest in North America! Jason Kenney recently stated that apart from tougher restrictions, he had “no tools left in the toolbox.”  He overlooks the need for paid sick benefits.

So far, he has agreed to cover three hours of paid leave for vaccinations,  and self-isolation support with room, board, and a payment of $625, for a total of $2,000. He termed this “more generous than any (other) province.”

Ontario has imposed border restrictions, opened field hospitals, flown up to 80 GTA patients daily as far as Ottawa and North Bay, recorded record ICU admissions, and sought the assistance of the Red Cross, Canadian Armed Forces, and nurses and MDs from Newfoundland and Labrador; Alberta's situation is potentially worse.

The COVID-19 positivity rate is 4.1% in Canada. It is 11.5% in Alberta, 6.8% in Ontario, and only 2.2% in Quebec.  Peel - near Toronto - has a positivity rate of over 22%!  

Only two provinces mandate paid sick leave: Quebec's two paid sick days per year after three months of employment, and PEI's one day after five years of employment. Ontario once required two days, but Premier Ford repealed this in 2018.

For months, Ford has argued that the problems were a poor supply of vaccines and a lack of border controls – both due to the federal government.  Partly correct, he ignored workplace infection, over which he has had some control.

Justin Trudeau has promised 2 million Pfizer doses per week in May and 2.5 million per week in June. However, even mass vaccinations will not rapidly terminate the pandemic.

For months, Ford had refused to consider provincial sick leave, but relied on the federal Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit.  The CRSB pays only $450 per week after taxes (below minimum wage), persons must apply every week, it doesn't cover shorter leaves, and remittance may take weeks.

As the CRSB was not improved in the new federal budget, Ontario announced it would consider a provincial program. They proposed to double the CRSB to $1,000 per week, and cover 100% of the increased cost.  Simply piggy-backing onto the CRSB would not correct its many deficiencies. As Dr. Juni argued, the CRSB is “too complicated, not enough, and help comes too late.”

More recently, the Ford government passed legislation for three paid sick days. Businesses would pay up to $200 per day, and be reimbursed by the WSIB. Employees needing 10-14 days off would have to apply for the federal CRSB, with all its faults -- far from "seamless".

Alberta's Rachel Notley has proposed ten days of paid sick leave. Isolating workers would continue to be paid through their employer, who would be reimbursed by the province, eventually paid by Ottawa via CRSB funds.

Legault, Ford and the other premiers should immediately mandate sufficient paid sick leave for all workers. Ottawa should fund the provinces and territories to provide sick benefits to MDs, nurses, and other health professionals, especially while waiting to be fully vaccinated. As Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown argues, “Leadership is the ability to correct the course when you realize you have made an error.”

Charles S. Shaver, MD   

Ottawa