A crowdfunding campaign for paid sick leave in Ontario is gaining steam — but should sick leave be a charitable cause?

Author Brennan Doherty
The team behind the Ontario Sick Day Relief Project are raising money to help essential workers pay for sick days. But even they admit their initiative is far from a solution.

Why It Matters

Patients are dying in ICUs across Ontario because they — or their colleagues, friends, and families — cannot afford to take time off work if they are infected with COVID-19. Until a paid sick day policy is enacted, many workers will need financial help to isolate or seek treatment.

var TRINITY_TTS_WP_CONFIG = {"cleanText":"A crowdfunding campaign for paid sick leave in Ontario is gaining steam \u2014 but should sick leave be a charitable cause?. Lindsay Clarke, a registered nurse in Toronto, expected the Ontario government\u2019s response to the province\u2019s third wave of COVID-19 would include mandatory paid sick days. When Premier Doug Ford stepped in front of the cameras on April 16, they weren\u2019t even on the agenda.\u00a0 Despite a year of advocates, experts, and even the province\u2019s Science Table calling for paid sick days, Ford instead essentially gave Ontario police forces free reign to card anyone outside of their home. He did not announce widespread closures of high-risk sectors like manufacturing and warehousing that could have slowed the spread of COVID-19

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