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80,000 health-care workers who have yet to get pandemic pay will receive it, Dix says

The B.C. government did start paying the COVID-19 top up to some employees in October
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Health Minister Adrian Dix is joined by Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry as they look on as Premier John Horgan discusses reopening the province’s economy in phases in response to the COVID-19 pandemic during a press conference in the rotunda at Legislature in Victoria, B.C., on Wednesday May 6, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

More than 80,000 frontline workers have yet to receive their promised pandemic pay from the B.C. government, but Health Minister Adrian Dix has pledged those eligible will have the funds in their bank accounts soon.

The specialized pay was announced during the height of COVID-19 earlier this year, with an estimated 250,000 workers eligible for the one-time lump-sum payment of an extra $4 per hour over a 16-week period from March 15 to July 4.

“I can assure them that they will get the pay that they are promised,” Dix said during a news conference Monday (Dec. 14), adding that the process has been “quite complicated,” but feels that despite the efforts by the finance ministry it has taken too long.

“I agree. It has taken too long and we all accept that,” Dix said. “People are working through it very diligently but everyone who is eligible for pandemic pay will receive it without question.”

The B.C. government did start paying the COVID-19 top up to some employees in October. Employers had until Oct. 31 to submit necessary paperwork to be part of the pandemic pay program.

READ MORE: Premier’s office ‘confident’ temporary pandemic pay coming in October

Danielle Hurch has been left wondering where her money is that was promised to her months ago by the B.C. government.

Hurch (name changed to protect her privacy) has been working at Glacier View Lodge, a public complex care facility in Courtenay for the past five years.

“It was supposed to be paid out … and nothing is getting done. It’s really upsetting. Everyone (at the lodge) is feeling like what is going on?”

She said friends who work in healthcare at other facilities across the province have received their pay and noted employees are frustrated at the discrepancies between facilities.

“It’s not fair; people are quitting and people are scared to say anything or ask - it’s something we should have had two months ago.”

According to the government, once a claim has been validated, it will be sent to the Ministry of Finance for payment which typically takes seven to 10 business days.

Anne Judson, board chair at GVL confirmed the facility submitted its claim in early October and is currently waiting for their funds from the province. She said the total claim for the lodge in excess of $100,000 and they are not in a position to forward funds to their employees before receiving provincial money.

“We’re too small of an organization … it’s really unfortunate that (other facilities) chose to pay out in advance, but smaller organizations like us are not in a position to pay in advance of receiving the money from the Ministry of Health.”

A representative from the Ministry of Finance told Black Press Media employees who have not yet received their additional pay are understandably frustrated and that the ministry apologizes for the delays.

She noted since the submission deadline, approximately 134,000 eligible employees have received a total of almost $211 million, and that delays are largely due to “administrative complexities associated with distributing a new program to more than 250,000 employees working for hundreds of different employers.

“Despite the challenges of distributing a new program to employees, it should not have taken this long. A cross-government group has been created to streamline the process and we are increasing resources to clear the bottleneck,” she explained.

The ministry anticipates nearly all of the remaining claims will be processed by the end of January.


@ashwadhwani
ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.ca

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