NDP hoping to fast track paid 3-hour vaccination leave

by Stephen Dafoe

Alberta’s NDP is hoping to collaborate with the UCP to fast-track by the end of this week special leave that would allow  Alberta workers 3-hours of paid leave to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Leader Rachel Notley is making the proposal based on British Columbia’s legislation decision allowing all workers to take three hours of paid leave to get vaccinated or to assist a family member in doing so. Saskatchewan introduced similar measures in mid-March.

“No one wants to log on to book their appointment just to find the only spots left are ones they simply can’t miss work for. These variants won’t wait for a vacation day,” Notley said.

“We need to do all we can to ensure Alberta workers can get vaccinated. I’m calling on Jason Kenney to work with us and do the same. If he presents a simple, clean bill to provide all Albertans with three paid hours to get themselves or a family member vaccinated, we will work with him to pass it before the legislature breaks for constituency week on Thursday.”

Alberta recently opened up AstraZeneca vaccine availability to Albertans over the age of 40. The NDP believes paid leave would help with the uptake of people getting the vaccine.

“I know many Albertans are concerned to see our vaccination sites running at a fraction of their capacity even while daily case numbers climb,” she said. “Providing this paid leave benefit — and doing it in a bipartisan way — would help protect as many Albertans as possible, as quickly as possible.”

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