Ontario will extend paid sick days program until July

Ontario will extend its temporary paid sick leave program until next summer.

The government says the program that had been due to expire at the end of this month will remain in place until July.

The program offers three days of paid sick leave for each worker, which the province has said can be used for getting tested for COVID-19, isolating while waiting for results or getting vaccinated.

Employers are reimbursed for up to $200 per day for each employee through the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, which delivers the program.

The Progressive Conservative government introduced the measure in April during the deadly third wave of COVID-19 infections and it was extended once before in August.

News of the latest extension comes after calls from opposition politicians to keep the program in place amid rising COVID-19 cases.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 7, 2021.

The Canadian Press