Ontario government extends paid COVID-19 sick leave program — but catch it more than once and you’re out of luck

The Ontario government is extending its paid COVID-19 sick leave program until the end of next March, but if you get sick more than once, you’re out of luck.The program, which reimburses employers up to $200 per day for three days for employees off sick with COVID, was set to expire July 31.The extension was noted in a short notice at the bottom of a news release announcing that children from six months to five years are eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccinations as of next Thursday.A government source acknowledged that the extension doesn’t include a resetting of eligibility: employers can’t be reimbursed if the same employee gets COVID more than once.According to statistics from the Ministry of Labour, through July 1, employers have claimed $191.03 million on behalf of 473,738 workers through the Worker Income Protection Benefit Program.The average number of days claimed per employee was 2.5, while the average daily amount claimed was $159.The top three industries by number of claims were manufacturing, retail and health care/social assistance.The government introduced the program in April 2021 after coming under heavy criticism from workers’ advocates and some health-care experts.