Thursday, February 25, 2021

Where Is the “Iron Ring”?

Not all healthcare workers are covered by the government’s ring of protection

By Mira Ponomarenko, Research & Training Specialist

We call our healthcare workers heroes, because they are. Over the last year, many risked their own health to offer medical care, comfort, and hope. In the midst of isolation, fear, and often tragedy, healthcare workers embody humanity that reaches beyond masks and medical devices.

In return, the government promised to create an “iron ring of protection” around healthcare workers. Trouble is, not everybody is on the inside.

Retirement and group homes workers, as well as those providing homecare, face many of the same risks as workers in hospitals and long term care homes. Yet these workers do not have mandatory WSIB coverage. If they contract COVID-19 or another illness in the workplace, there is no insurance to replace their lost income or help cover medical costs like WSIB does. The private insurance offered by their employers often does not cover illness such as COVID-19 or other infectious diseases.

CLAC has been advocating for years with government leaders and at the bargaining table to make this coverage mandatory for all healthcare workers. In February, CLAC ran a campaign (clac.ca/wsibforall) to highlight this important gap for the politicians who prepared to debate the provincial budget in March. In the course of this campaign, we reached over 40,000 Ontarians, and more than 3,000 emails about this issue were sent to politicians by CLAC members and supporters.

We are grateful for our healthcare member community who support each other with the same courage and compassion they show to their residents, patients, and clients. Thank you for your incredible work.

It is our great privilege to represent so many of our Ontario heroes. We will keep fighting to make sure that every healthcare worker in this province is protected by WSIB, especially as they put themselves on the line to help others.

Where Is the “Iron Ring”?

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