Windsor city council urges province to legislate paid sick days

The decision wasn't unanimous, but Windsor citycouncil voted Monday to urge the province to implement a paid sick day program.

The program would offer workers who don't get paid sick days at work time off due to sickness with COVID-19.

"A number of folks here at this table have expressed admiration and gratitude to front-line workers who continue to put themselves at risk in order to meet the needs that wehave in our community," said Coun. Kieran McKenzie, who put forward the motion patterned after one passed by the council in St. Catharines.

"And this is another layer of protection that will allow those folks who need to attend work."

But Coun. Jo-Anne Gignac was opposed, on the grounds that paid sick days need to be left to the negotiating table with employers.

• Toronto mayor calls for paid sick days as Ontario logs 5,979 COVID-19 cases in 2 days

"My fear in endorsing this is that we're stepping into the shoes of other elected bodies," said Gignac.

Mayor Drew Dilkens urged against the motion because this council wouldn't have a good enough idea what the program would cost because the sick days program would continue after the pandemic.

"This isn't just a pandemic response. We're saying enshrine this in Ontario legislation when there's already a federal response available and certainly this council has no information what this would cost or what this would mean. This is sort of a visceral reaction," said Dilkens.

The federal government has set up the Canada Recovery Sickness benefit to allow those who are sick with COVID-19 or isolating to receive up to $450per week after tax, but advocates say that program falls short of what paid sick days would provide to workers.

• Federal sickness benefit falls short of paid sick leave protections, advocates say

CouncillorsGary Kaschak, Rino Bortolin, Jim Morrison, Chris Holt, Kieran McKenzie and Fabio Costante voted in favour. CouncillorsJeewen Gill, Jo-AnneGignac, Fred Francis and mayor DrewDilkens voted against.

Toronto Mayor John Tory is also calling on the federal and provincial governments to work together to improve the paid sick day program. Officials in the cities of London and Brampton have also called on the province for paid sick days.