Ontario Businesses Support Permanent Paid Sick Days

Why We Wrote This:
With this open letter, we are acknowledging that many of Ontario’s small and medium businesses support immediately extending and enhancing the Worker Income Protection Benefit (WIBP) & creating legislation on permanent Paid Sick Days.

Businesses: Tap here to Sign the Letter

Media Statements

PeaceWorks has always offered Paid Sick Days for all illnesses. When COVID became more of a concern, our staff were already able to take the time they needed. This is important. When our staff are well-supported, they come to work healthy and ready to provide great service to our clients. Businesses need permanent Paid Sick Days to keep staff healthy so that we’re as productive as possible and they’re happy to work for us.” 

Ian Kelly, General Manager, PeaceWorks Technology Solutions

“Our Tourism business has been hit hard since the beginning of the pandemic, which is why we support Paid Sick Days. PSD Programs have kept our doors open – and our employees protected physically and financially during peak waves of COVID. Like many businesses across multiple sectors, we support a permanent Paid Sick Days policy in Ontario for a stronger economic future.” 

Aaron Binder, Chief Experience Officer, Go Tours Canada

“Our Business Members support Paid Sick Days to keep their staff happy, healthy, and high-performing.  Reducing the spread of COVID while our healthcare system is in crisis makes sense. Legislating a permanent Paid Sick Days policy will help guarantee a healthy recovery for Ontario’s economy while reducing strain on healthcare.”

Liliana Camacho, Director, Better Way Alliance

An open letter to: The Honourable Monte McNaughton
Permanent Paid Sick Days Needed to Boost Ontario’s Economic Recovery

To: The Honourable Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development

CC: Deepak Anand, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, The Honourable Doug Ford, Premier, The Honourable Neil Lumsden, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, The Honourable Sylvia Jones, Minister of Health


July 20th, 2022, Ontario

Dear Minister McNaughton,

Since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, Ontario’s small & medium business owners have found ways to survive by being resourceful and resilient. We are proud entrepreneurs that represent 97% of the Ontario economy. After two difficult years, we’re making a comeback – and need to make sure our recovery momentum isn’t interrupted.

As autumn approaches, we are extremely concerned about the next wave of COVID-19. Current variants are more transmissible than before – and infect people who have already caught COVID. We can’t afford to have staff coming to work and infecting their co-workers.

The Worker Income Protection Benefit (WIPB) program that mandated three paid sick days for all employees is currently set to expire on July 31. As business owners, we are calling on the provincial government to immediately extend and enhance legislated paid sick days. When workers are financially and physically healthy, our economy benefits.

The small & medium business community is calling for the following enhancements to ensure paid sick days are in place that support our economic recovery: 

  • Resetting employee eligibility so that staff who used the WIPB before can use paid sick days annually if they fall ill again
  • End the exclusion of small businesses with existing company-financed paid sick day policies and open eligibility to ALL businesses under the WIPB
  • Legislate permanent paid sick days applicable to all workers in all businesses ensuring an adequate number of paid sick days for all illnesses, not just COVID
It’s unfair to Ontario’s local businesses that we’ve paid out of pocket for sick day measures while companies like Loblaws and Amazon are subsidized by the WIPB – simply because they had not offered this benefit to all staff before. Extending the WIPB program to ALL businesses long enough to develop permanent paid sick days will help keep Ontario’s economic recovery on track.

There is plenty of evidence from both our members and global research of the adequate number of days for a permanent program. From Ontario’s businesses to you – now is the time for the Ontario government to create a permanent paid sick day program that works for workers and our business community. You’ve got businesses backing you on permanent paid sick days and we’re here to share our expertise with you.

 

Sincerely,
The BWA Membership


Factsheet: Permanent Paid Sick Days are Good for Business

Businesses: Sign the Open Letter

TitleCityProvinceType Of BusinessWebsite
Flow Office WisdomGuelphBusiness Serviceswww.flowofficewisdom.com/
Designs By Nature GemsTorontoManufacturingwww.designsbynaturegems.com/
NU GroceryOttawaRetailnugrocery.com/
Grand Cru DeliTorontoRestaurantgrandcrudeli.com/
Le PrixWaterlooRetail and e-commercewww.leprixclothing.com/
Carpani Financial Services IncSarniaFinancial Serviceswww.carpanifinancial.com/
Inderly ITHamiltonTechnology consultingwww.inderly.com/
Enviro-Stewards Inc.ElmiraONServiceswww.enviro-stewards.com/
The Full PlateTorontoONFood and Hospitalitywww.thefullplate.ca/
Jewels4EverTorontoONRetailwww.jewels4ever.ca/
Go Tours CanadaTorontoONServiceswww.gotourscanada.com/
Segway of OntarioTorontoONRetailsegwayofontario.com/
IRegained Inc.SudburyONOtheriregained.ca/
Grand Cru DeliTorontoONFood and Hospitalitywww.grandcrudeli-toronto.com/
Designs by Nature GemsTorontoONManufacturingwww.designsbynaturegems.com/
FAM House Services IncLondonONServiceswww.famcc.ca/
Motherdough Mill & Bakery IncTorontoONFood and Hospitalitywww.motherdoughto.com/
TannerRitchie PublishingBurlingtonONServicestannerritchie.com/
Le PrixWaterlooONRetailwww.leprixclothing.com/
Canary & FoxTorontoONRetailcanaryandfox.com/
Morning Parade Coffee BarTorontoONFood and Hospitality
Independent Marketing TeamTorontoONServices
VinequityTorontoONServices
Marben RestaurantTorontoONFood and Hospitality
Broad LingerieTorontoONRetail
Fourth Pig Green & Natural ConstructionBaysvilleONServices
Bread by UsOttawaONFood and Hospitality
Neal Brothers/Crank CoffeeRichmond HillONFood and Hospitality
Cake and Loaf BakeryHamiltonONFood and Hospitality
Grosche International Inc.CambridgeONRetailwww.grosche.ca/
PeaceWorks Technology SolutionsWaterlooONServices
InderlyHamiltonONServiceswww.inderly.com/
Better Way AllianceTorontoONbetterwayalliance.ca/

With this open letter, we are letting you know that Ontario’s small businesses support immediately extending and enhancing the WIBP, and creating legislation on permanent Paid Sick Days. You cannot use cost concerns for small businesses as an excuse – because we’re telling you that PSDs are a win for us. You’ve already seen the positive impact this program has had on Ontario’s businesses. Let’s keep building a better economy, together.