Alberta opposition renews call for paid sick leave as Omicron cases rise

Alberta's NDP is renewing a call for the province to legislate paid sick leave for all Alberta workers, but the government insists the current supports are working.

NDP labour critic Christina Gray says her party has legislation ready to go that would ensure Albertans are able to stay home when sick.

The NDP is pointing to provinces including B.C., Ontario and Manitoba as well as Ottawa's new paid sick leave program.

With the new variant spreading in Alberta, the NDP says paid sick leave is more important than ever.

"Paid sick leave is an incredibly important piece of this puzzle and we are calling on the Government again to follow the lead of other provinces and the federal government and make paid sick leave available to all Albertans today," said Gray.

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In a statement, the province said that all employees who need to self-isolate can take a 14 day unpaid leave and have access to a variety of supports, regardless of their length of service.

"We encourage employers and employees to work together to find alternate arrangements that allow employees to keep working even if they cannot come into a work site," the statement said.

Alberta’s COVID-19 case count ballooned on Wednesday to its highest point since the start of October with 1,346 new cases reported.