In the wake of hospital overcrowding, Mike Schreiner is calling on the PC government to restore the basic workplace protections it repealed last year.

“Flexible sick leave policies limit the spread of infection, yet the Premier ignored best practices when he repealed paid sick days and reinstated sick notes,” said Schreiner.

Schreiner’s call echoes the open letter from 175 health professionals who described the current provincial labour laws a ‘serious threat to the health and safety of Ontarians.’

“Our hospitals are overcrowded, but the Ford government has enacted onerous sick leave policies that will only worsen the crisis,” said Schreiner.

According to polling, 8 in 10 Ontarians said they would come into work sick if their employer required a sick note.

Public health experts say that mandatory sick notes increase the costs of fighting pandemics like H1N1, which cost Canada $2 billion.

“The Premier’s regressive labour laws are totally at odds with evidence-based public health policy, which tells people to stay home when they are ill,” said Schreiner.

“If they are serious about Coronavirus or any future disease outbreak, then fair and reasonable sick leave policies must be restored.”

source: media release, Green Party of Ontario