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May 29, 2020

Open letter to the Government of Ontario: Pandemic Pay

From the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant Burlington Hospital CEOs Committee
Open letter to the Government of Ontario May 27, 2020
Subject: Pandemic Pay

Hospitals across the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant Burlington region are grateful for the Ontario government’s ongoing support as we continue to work together to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thank you for taking action to ensure that our frontline healthcare workers receive support through the provision of temporary pandemic pay. We appreciate the expression of gratitude for our frontline workers.

Unfortunately, the lack of clarity and uncertainty regarding pandemic pay eligibility is impacting the morale of our employees and undermining the recognition they are receiving from our communities. We value the efforts of all of our employees and we believe they all deserve recognition for their contributions. We are therefore urging you to extend pandemic pay to all hospital workers. Our entire workforce is at the forefront of the provincial pandemic response, working around the clock in very challenging circumstances to assure safe, high quality, sustainable care for the people we serve. As you finalize the government’s plans for temporary pandemic pay, we ask that you examine how it could apply to all hospital employees to provide equitable recognition. Their collective effort and morale remains essential to the provision of care for our patients and communities.

Sincerely,

Dr. David McNeil, President & CEO, Brant Community Healthcare System
Sharon Moore, Interim President & CEO, Haldimand War Memorial Hospital
Rob MacIsaac, President & CEO, Hamilton Health Sciences
Lynne Pay, Interim CEO, Hotel Dieu Shaver Health and Rehabilitation Centre
Eric Vandewall, President & CEO, Joseph Brant Hospital
Lynn Guerriero, President, Niagara Health
Tom Thomson, Interim President & CEO, Norfolk General Hospital and West Haldimand General Hospital
Melissa Farrell, President, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton