[EXCERPT]
Horgan has previously said it wouldn’t be fair to download the cost of a sick-pay program onto businesses at a time when many are going bankrupt or struggling due to the pandemic.
But that’s exactly what the premier is doing by allowing WorkSafeBC to open up more illness claims on employers, said Greg D’Avignon, president of the B.C. Business Council. WorkSafeBC is funded on employer premiums, and more claims due to COVID-19 will drive up those premiums and essentially download the costs back on to businesses, he said.
He urged B.C. Labour Minister Harry Bains to intervene and stop the process. Bains didn’t respond to an interview request.
“Businesses can’t afford the costs they have today on restarting the economy and getting 400,000 people back to work, let alone additional costs and more risks down the road,” said D’Avignon. “They just can’t.”
