Paid sick days required ahead of fourth wave, FOIPOP highlights low cost of provincial program

HALIFAX- A Freedom of Information request received by the NSNDP Caucus shows that providing paid sick days for everyone is possible. When the provincial government announced the program last spring they said they expected to spend $16 million. Less than $160,000 was used during the first 8 weeks of the program.

“As Nova Scotia prepares for a fourth wave of COVID-19, I am calling on Premier Tim Houston to ensure all workers in our province have paid sick days. For the parent who may need to stay home with a sick child, or the person who can’t cover their rent if they miss a shift, paid sick days are an absolute necessity,” said NDP Leader Gary Burrill. “Previously, critics have suggested that people would abuse such a system. This information from the department makes it clear that this is not the case.”

The provincial government paid out $157,498.39 from May 10th to June 30th. In that time 1313 sick days were approved, and 642 employees used the program.

Statistics Canada data suggest that 54 per cent of Nova Scotia workers do not have paid sick days and would have been eligible for this program, roughly 270,000 people.

“All workers deserve the security of knowing that if they need to miss a day at work because they are sick, they will not lose a day’s pay,” said Kendra Coombes, NDP Labour spokesperson. “For the almost 650 people who used the program, having a paid sick day lifted a huge burden. It’s clear people will not abuse paid sick days, and paid sick days will go a long way to helping everyone stay healthy.”

The NDP first introduced legislation to provide all employees with paid sick days in September 2018.

Under pressure from the NDP and community organizations, the previous government created a sick leave program during the third wave of COVID-19. The program provided up to four paid sick days for workers for the period from May 10 to July 31 of this year.

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