In the wake of upheaval in 2020 caused by the coronavirus pandemic and racially charged events in the U.S. that ignited a year of social justice unrest across the globe, Twitter Inc. implemented its #DaysofRest additional paid-time-off initiative to support its employees amid the turmoil. Employees were disheartened and emotionally exhausted by events in the […]
Workers in Ontario will soon be able access three paid sick days to help them self-isolate during the coronavirus pandemic, but critics said the policy announced April 28 falls far short of what’s required to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government had for months resisted intense pressure from health experts and advocates […]
Alberta recently joined a growing list of provinces and territories that are amending legislation to introduce paid time off for workers who wish to get the coronavirus vaccine. The legislation, which took effect on April 21, ensures all employees in Alberta are now eligible for up to three hours of paid time off to get […]
Alberta will begin offering coronavirus vaccines to thousands of meat-packing employees across the province starting this week, but a union leader says some workers are reluctant to receive a shot from the government or an employer they don’t trust. The provincial government says starting Tuesday, vaccines will be offered to more than 15,000 workers at 136 […]
As it becomes increasingly clear that workplaces are a key transmission location in the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, some Canadian employers are offering paid sick leave to their employees in the absence of government action. Paid sick leave benefits, which allow workers to call in sick without fear of losing a day’s pay, […]
While a national pharmacare program is yet to be revealed by the federal government, any future plan should contain provisions for all costly treatments and not just rare diseases, says Jennifer Schmidt, a principal at Mercer Canada. Read: Federal budget highlights national childcare system, extension of pandemic subsidies This week’s federal budget announcement contained only […]
Federal opposition leaders are criticizing the Liberal government’s first budget in two years for omitting pharmacare, while suggesting alternatives to a proposed $30-billion national childcare system. Debate began in the House of Commons Tuesday with leaders pushing to shape the economic blueprint more to their liking. Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he knows where […]
Fundamental changes to the traditional workplace are causing greater levels of mental distress for managers and non-managers alike in the Canadian workforce, noted findings from Morneau Shepell Ltd.’s latest monthly mental-health index. At the one-year mark, the mental-health score for March 2021 (negative 11.2) was similar to that of April 2020 (negative 11.7) but slightly […]
Ontario’s two biggest coronavirus hot spots are moving to temporarily close businesses with recent outbreaks of the virus, in an effort to rein in surging case counts experts said were fuelled by workplace spread. The City of Toronto and Peel Region announced within hours of each other Tuesday that they would issue updated orders requiring […]
In its 2021 budget on Monday, the federal government said it’s proposing nearly $30 billion over the next five years towards a national community-based childcare system. The budget stated that starting in 2021/2022, an investment of up to $27.2 billion over five years will bring the federal government to a 50/50 share of childcare costs […]