TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford is promising to introduce measures to help improve conditions for the province’s personal support workers.
Ford says the PSWs, who have played a major in the struggle against the COVID-19 pandemic, are underpaid and overworked.
He says he plans to ask the provincial Health Ministry to come up with a plan to bolster salaries and take other steps to ensure the workers are properly compensated for their efforts.
Ford says his determination to address PSWs’ needs came after a recent visit to a Toronto-area long-term care facility where his mother-in-law currently lives.
Ontario’s congregate-care settings have been particularly hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting measures earlier this year that prevented PSWs from working in more than one facility at a time.
Ford did not offer an estimate as to when any new measures may be introduced.
The pledge came as Ontario reported 95 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, along with one new death.
It marked the fourth day in a row that the province’s new case load came in under 100.
The number of resolved cases also continued to outpace new ones, with provincial data showing 159 more classified as recovered in the past 24 hours.
Ontario has recorded 39,809 total cases of the novel coronavirus, along with 2,783 deaths.
Health Minister Christine Elliott said 15 of the province’s 34 public health units did not record any new cases over the previous 24 hours, with 14 more reporting five or fewer.
She said Ontario processed more than 26,000 tests on Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 6, 2020.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 6, 2020.
The Canadian Press
