QUEEN’S PARK — Mike Schreiner released the following statement in response to Premier Ford’s virtual press conference this morning:
“The hard truth: it’s taken the Premier a year into the pandemic, after being forced into isolation because of a workplace exposure, to finally realize the privilege he has over workers living paycheque-to-paycheque.
I have been calling for paid sick days since the Premier cancelled them in 2018 for a reason: Paid sick days help save lives.
The fact that it’s taken thousands of deaths and a raging crisis in Ontario for the Premier to realize this is appalling.
Premier Ford needs to stop playing politics by blaming the federal government and the CRSB. Workers have needed paid sick days since last year.
It is irresponsible for the Premier to ignore the science and to have waited this long to act.
The Premier needs to immediately legislate accessible, permanent, seamless paid sick days as well as paid time off for workers to be vaccinated.
The Premier must act quickly. Stop moving at a snail’s pace because delays continue to cost lives.”