Government and Democracy

This column originally appeared in the Toronto star.

To hear executives at two of Canada’s largest retailers and a private long-term care home chain tell it, they did a pretty bang up job handling the pandemic – and promptly wrote themselves hefty bonus cheques to prove it.

We’re talking about millions in bonuses, on top of salaries that already put them in the top one per cent.

It’s been more than a year since the coronavirus pandemic took hold and air transportation was severely restricted.

Statistics Canada released the latest economic statistics on air travel this week. Unsurprisingly the numbers paint a troubling picture.

Large Canadian airlines carried less than 800,000 people in January. That’s nearly 90% less than the number of passengers the same airlines carried in January 2020.Operating revenues are down 85% compared to January 2020. GDP created by the industry fell even further, to just 11% of pre-COVID levels.

Linda MacNeil, Unifor Atlantic Regional Director

Last week’s budget made some important, headline-making investments, but when you consider the details, these broad announcements still do not cover the gaps that Nova Scotia’s workers need filled.

The budget announced that funding for continuing care, including long-term care and home care would increase by 13% over the 2020 budget plan, topping the $1 billion mark for the first time.

The refrain “if you’re sick, stay home” is not just smart workplace policy, it’s also smart public health policy.

Of course, COVID-19 has elevated the importance of this approach to new levels. Preventing the spread of COVID-19 in workplaces is a matter of life and death.

This month the premier acknowledged the link between provincial workplace policies and public health by legislating paid time off for workers to get the vaccine.

It’s time to take the next step and legislate employer-paid sick leave for all Saskatchewan’s workers.