Province changes tone about 'urgent' need for volunteers
CBC
It may be a while before the thousands of New Brunswickers who responded to the province's "urgent" call last month for volunteers to help with the COVID-19 pandemic are put to work.
"A registry is being kept for when and where needs arise," Department of Health spokesperson Bruce Macfarlane said in an emailed statement Thursday.
"The call for help for volunteers is meant to add flexibility, and prompt those not yet employed to offer their skills and services for casual employment within health-related sectors."
Macfarlane did not respond to a request to clarify whether all the needs that prompted the urgent call for paid and unpaid volunteers to help with the clinical and non-clinical pandemic response are currently being met.
"We need your help," Health Minister Dorothy Shephard had said on Jan. 18, citing increased hospitalizations and staff absences because of the Omicron variant putting pressure on all aspects of the health-care system.
"Over 4,000" people registered on the website, now entitled, "Urgent Call for employment and volunteers – Pandemic Support."
As of Thursday, only 45 members of the public have been "successfully onboarded," said Macfarlane — not "approximately 100," as previously indicated. He offered no explanation for the discrepancy or for the number not being higher.
Of these, 42 are clinical and three are non-clinical.
All of them are getting paid, he said, but he wouldn't say how much, or even give a salary range.
Shephard has said whether someone gets paid will depend on what they'll be doing.
Clinical work includes administering vaccinations and COVID testing, patient services and personal support work.
The non-clinical work includes clerical support, office administration, logistical support, data entry, customer service, and food preparation and delivery.
According to a Jan. 19 memo, obtained by CBC News, chiropractors, dentists and veterinarians who have been deemed "able to vaccinate in [regional health authority] clinics, with some additional training provided by the regional Public Health authorities," are "eligible to be paid the general sessional rate (currently $142.80 per hour)."
By comparison, registered nurses who work in acute care in the province earn between $32.54 and $39.57 an hour, according to the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, based on a contract that expired in December 2018, and licensed practical nurses earn between $25.98 and $27.06, based on a contract that expired in June 2019.
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