Premier Ford promises paid sick-leave program, no details given

Premier Doug Ford says a paid sick-leave program for Ontario workers is in the works.

Ford made the announcement at a virtual news conference Thursday morning, his first since he announced additional COVID-19 measures last Friday.

Some of those measures, including increased police enforcement powers and the closure of playgrounds, have since been rescinded.

Ford apologized for those moves at the news conference, saying the government was wrong and acted “too quickly” in the face of concerning COVID-19 modeling numbers.

Ford addressing some of the measures announced on Friday:

“We got it wrong. We made a mistake.”

Ford says as premier, the buck stops with him.

“Again, I’m sorry and I apologize to each and everyone of you. ”

— CHCH News (@CHCHNews) April 22, 2021

Ford’s announcement about sick leave comes after months of saying a provincial policy wasn’t needed.

He says people forced into quarantine should not have to worry about their jobs or income and the province is working on a solution because the federal government hasn’t expanded its own policy.

Ford himself is in isolation right now, after coming in contact with a staff member who tested positive for COVID-19.

He provided no specifics about the program or when it would come.

When asked by CHCH Queen’s Park journalist Randy Rath about whether the program would be a temporary measure or something more permanent, Ford said it would be a strong program to protect workers.