Thieves steal from Mausoleum again, page 4 World Curling volunteers talk about canceled event, page 5
Prince George Thursday March 19, 2020
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COVID-19 compensation for workers Tyler ORTON Glacier Media
B.C. workers stricken by COVID-19 may soon find themselves walloped by uncertainty over compensation amid the global pandemic, according to one B.C. lawyer.
Citizen Photo by James Doyle
ART BATTLE Elliot Wilson worked on their painting during the first round of competition at the Art Battle SD #57 Youth
Tournament at Duchess Park Secondary last week. Nine artists began the battle before four finalists were chosen to move on to the district Art Battle against artists from Kelly Road Secondary, PGSS, and the Centre for Learning Alternatives.
Northern B.C. residents infected with COVID-19 Ted CLARKE Citizen staff
The provincial health authority has confirmed the first two cases of novel coronavirus in northern B.C. as of press time.
Two people who recently returned from travel to other countries tested positive for COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal health region. They drove themselves back to their homes in northern B.C. and are self-isolating. “They are very stable and have milder illness,” B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said. The Northern Health region was the last of five in the province to have residents
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infected by the virus. It was not revealed where in northern B.C. the two patients live and that information won’t be made public. “To protect people’s privacy the actual locations of communities where confirmed cases reside is not being identified,” Northern Health spokesperson Eryn Collins said. “It’s really important for people to know that anyone potentially exposed will be contacted by public health officials. “Regardless of whether there’s a confirmed case in any given community, because they are being closely watched and followed by public health officials, it does not constitute an increased level of risk for the general population. The same
health advice that is being given to people across the province still applies.” Provincial health officials, in their daily news conferences the past few weeks, have identified where the patients live but only if those patients reside in large municipalities where their anonymity can be assured. “We will not be identifying the specific location of confirmed cases unless public health providers cannot be certain they have reached all those who need to be contacted and who therefore might be a risk to the public,” Henry said in a statement forwarded to The Citizen. See COVID-19, page 4
“Contractors don’t have any sort of protection whatsoever,” said Andrea Raso, an employment and human rights lawyer at Clark Wilson LLP in Vancouver, referring to the potential for layoffs. “We don’t know whether or not the government is going to expand any benefits to them. I’d be surprised if they did.” Hourly workers may soon find their hours being curtailed as more people take to self-quarantine to stave of the threat of COVID-19. Employment insurance and the B.C. Employment Standards Act will cover those hourly workers if their jobs are cut entirely. But recourse might be tricky if workers feel they’re being discriminated against if they’re diagnosed with COVID-19. “[B.C.’s] Human Rights Code offers protection in instances of race, colour, ancestry, place of origin and also physical disabilities. Typically, colds and flus are not considered a disability,” Raso said. “It’s an open question as to whether or not this would be considered a disability. So short of having any of those protected grounds, there really isn’t a basis for any sort of complaint.” As for sick leave, she’s urging unionized workers to review their collective agreements. Non-unionized workers, meanwhile, should be taking a look at their own contracts as well as company policies on sick days. “A lot of employers in B.C. do not have policies or have contracts that entitle their employees to sick leave,” she said, adding the B.C. Employment Standards Act also does not provide any right to sick leave. While the act makes provisions for compassionate care leave or emergency leave, Raso said she does not believe COVID-19 applies at this time.