When workers comp claims for COVID-19 fall through the cracks, the costs often land on sick employees and taxpayers
As outbreaks close workplaces and force people to stay home, some claims get turned down - but many employers never filed them in the first place. In the end, relief programs like CERB and private insurers pay the price Bookmark Please log in to listen to this story. Also available in French and Mandarin. Log In Create Free Account
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Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
If you re sick, stay home is a non-starter for many Canadians
Most Canadian workers still feel like they can t stay home from work, even if they are worried they might have COVID-19. Despite growing demands for better paid sick leave, most Canadians still have inadequate coverage.
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Industry, government grapple with trades training reform By Hayley Woodin | April 5, 2021, 11:00am
Brynn Bourke, interim executive director of BC Building Trades: “We can’t afford not to do this” | Submitted
The restoration of compulsory trades training appears to have strong public support in British Columbia.
Eight in 10 British Columbians are in favour of requiring tradespeople to obtain a specified level of training before working in a skilled trade, according to a recent Research Co. poll commissioned by the BC Building Trades (BCBT).
B.C. is the only province without a compulsory trades system. Supporters say that restoring such a system, which was in place in B.C. until 2003, will help build the province’s capacity to meet its skilled-trades labour shortage. Others question whether mandatory education and training requirements are enough to meet chronic skills supply challenges.
Industry, government grapple with trades training reform - BC News castanet.net - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from castanet.net Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Canadian Press, with files from staff
Job-protected leave has been written into British Columbia’s Employment Standards Act to give workers time off to get their coronavirus vaccinations.
Labour Minister Harry Bains says the safeguard will ensure that no one will lose their job if they need time away to get vaccinated. The changes allow part-time and full-time workers to take as much time as needed to travel and receive the vaccine or to take a dependent family member to get their shot, though no specific time has been set out.
Bains says he knows most employers understand the importance of having their employees vaccinated to provide a safe place for workers and their customers. The regulatory changes also include expanding job-protection leave for reasons related to coronavirus, aligning with federal government sickness and caregiver benefits.