Dear Mr. Walker, Ms. Elliott and Mr. Ford

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, additional funding was supplied  by the province to our Public Health system to provide resources for staffing.

We understand that our PHU hired 60 staff during this period.

Our local Grey-Bruce Medical Officer of Health received $300,000 of that funding for his long hours of overtime on top of his salary negotiated between the Ontario Medical Association and the Government of Ontario, for a total of $631,000 in 2020.

As we are now at the end of the first calendar quarter of 2021, with the pandemic entering its third wave, will that overtime funding continue to be provided to our MOH until the emergency is declared over in Ontario?

Personal Support Workers have been told that their $2-3 per hour pandemic pay will only extend until June, when it will be reviewed. Other Long Term Care staff – activation, laundry, housekeeping, dietary aides - are receiving no pandemic pay at all, although they all continue to be swabbed for COVID twice weekly, have no sick days, work in masks and goggles and curtail their personal lives to protect their residents.

Ontario residents want to be confident that all those charged with the care of our health are equitably and appropriately compensated for their time and their risks.

Respectfully,
Anne Finlay-Stewart, Owen Sound