MIDDLSEX COUNTY, ONT. -- A number of health-care workers previously not on the list for Ontario’s additional pandemic pay, will now be included.

On the weekend, Premier Doug Ford announced a $4 per hour premium for workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But notably absent from the list were paramedics and respiratory therapists.

Now, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) says that has changed.

Among those now eligible for pandemic pay are:

  • respiratory therapists
  • paramedics
  • public health nurses
  • addictions and mental health workers serving the same functions as workers in acute-care hospital settings

Union dues will reportedly not be collected on the pandemic pay.

OPSEU President Warren ‘Smokey’ Thomas said in a statement, “While today’s expansion is not everything we asked for, I applaud the government for listening and moving the yardsticks.”

He added that the union will continue to focus on job security and safety equipment for workers.