Ontario to table legislation making PSW wage increase permanent: government source
Global News
The Ontario government is planning to soon make permanent an hourly wage increase for personal support workers that was brought in during the pandemic.
The Ontario government is planning to soon make permanent an hourly wage increase for personal support workers that was brought in during the pandemic.
A senior government source confirmed to The Canadian Press that the government intends to introduce legislation on the matter this month.
The wage increase for health workers has been repeatedly extended for months at a time since COVID-19 hit the province two years ago.
It is currently set to expire on March 31.
The source said workers in long-term care and community care will retain pay increases of $3 per hour and workers in public hospitals will keep a $2 per hour raise.
The wage increase will cover approximately 158,000 workers who provide publicly funded services in home and community care, long-term care, public hospitals and social services.
The government has said in the past that the temporary program was aimed at helping to stabilize, attract and retain the health workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Premier Doug Ford had promised that his government would keep the pay raise for personal support workers, but he had not confirmed when or how that would happen.