Lack of Paid Sick Leave in BC s Budget Is a Missed Opportunity thetyee.ca - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thetyee.ca Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Despite no funding in the provincial budget, B.C. is under growing pressure to create a paid sick leave program to prevent people going into work and unknowingly spreading COVID-19.
The provinces were looking to the federal Liberals to enhance the national paid sick leave program, but Monday’s budget offered no changes to the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit. Labour groups across the country have slammed the $500-a-week benefit, or $450 after taxes, for anyone sick with COVID-19 as an inadequate measure that fails to replace a worker’s full wages.
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Budget 2021: Labour groups slam lack of funding for paid sick leave program vancouversun.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from vancouversun.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
“From day one, our government has had people’s backs,” she said. “That will never change. We will continue to protect people’s health and livelihoods until the pandemic has passed.”
The government now expects the past year’s deficit to come in at $8.1 billion instead of the previous forecast of $13.6 billion. That’s largely due to higher-than-anticipated revenues, lower spending and the improved performance of ICBC and other agencies, Robinson said.
Still, the government expects to run an even higher deficit of $9.7 billion in the coming year before the fiscal picture begins to improve. It’s unclear when the province will return to balanced budgets.
B C budget gets as much discussion for what was left out as what was put in cbc.ca - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cbc.ca Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.