The B.C. government91裸聊视频檚 commitment to come up with a paid sick leave program for people who don91裸聊视频檛 have employer illness coverage should not use WorkSafeBC91裸聊视频檚 fund, B.C. Liberal labour critic Greg Kyllo says.

Kyllo and other opposition critics have called on the NDP government to deliver on Premier John Horgan91裸聊视频檚 promise last year to give people paid time off if they have symptoms that may be from COVID-19, to avoid workplace transmission of the virus.

Kyllo said the premier91裸聊视频檚 commitment, restated by Labour Minister Harry Bains in the legislature Thursday, should come from its pandemic contingency fund, and not from WorkSafeBC as Horgan suggested after last week91裸聊视频檚 B.C. budget. WorkSafeBC91裸聊视频檚 funds come entirely from employer premiums, and the government has been clear that employers can91裸聊视频檛 absorb more costs, he said.

91裸聊视频淚 think it91裸聊视频檚 a gross misuse of funds to pull dollars away from the workers91裸聊视频� accident fund, rather than utilize in excess of $3 billion they have in their pandemic slush fund,91裸聊视频� Kyllo said in an interview April 29.

Questioned about the issue Thursday, Bains would provide no details.

91裸聊视频淢ore needs to be done, and I can assure this house that we will have a made-in-B.C. sick pay plan,91裸聊视频� Bains said.

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In the legislature earlier this week, Kamloops-South Thompson MLA Todd Stone quoted Horgan91裸聊视频檚 commitment from last year, when he was lobbying Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to bring in a sick pay program as part of federal pandemic relief efforts. 91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e prepared to go it alone if need be. We do have alternative plans in place.91裸聊视频� Stone quoted Horgan as saying.

When the federal budget came out April 19 with no sick pay plan, the provincial budget was ready for delivery the following day and couldn91裸聊视频檛 be altered. Ontario was in the same situation, and has since moved to use its workplace insurance fund to cover up to three days of sick pay for people concerned they might be infected.

WorkSafeBC91裸聊视频檚 surplus was an issue before the 2017 election, when then-jobs minister Shirley Bond said a re-elected B.C. Liberal government would put a cap on WorkSafeBC91裸聊视频檚 surplus premiums and return excess funds to employers who pay into the agency91裸聊视频檚 injury fund.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business tracked the issue and B.C.91裸聊视频檚 declining worker accident rate, estimating that by 2015, WorkSafeBC91裸聊视频檚 assets exceeded liabilities by $4.5 billion.

tfletcher@blackpress.ca
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