There is pressure on members of provincial parliament to find out when front-line workers will see a COVID-19 pandemic pay increase.
Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Judith Monteith-Farrell says she’s also hearing from people not included in a list of people to receive benefits, and was told in question period Tuesday morning it’s expected next week.
“They said it was a monumental task because there was so many transfer payments that had to be set up. They did not comment, and were asked, about who exactly is going to be included,” says the local MPP.
Due to the pandemic, Queen’s Park is meeting twice a week, with physical distancing measures in place for the limited number of people allowed.
She says right now it’s every Tuesday and Wednesday, but she’s heard that could extend further.
“We have heard we are going to be sitting all summer, which is not the norm, but is something that is going to be carried on. At this point, we’re meeting to deal with COVID related kind of issues,” says Montieth-Farrell.
The local MPP says she grabs one of the few Air Canada flights from Thunder Bay, and lands in a very deserted Pearson Airport in Toronto. Flights don’t have many people, and she figures people she sees are flying for business to Toronto, or what appears to be students with backpacks.
