I personally believe that sick leave is important, especially as we transition into reopening the economy.
I'm just talking from my own experience here, but as a business owner—I co-own our financial planning practice with two other individuals—we were just speaking of transitioning our staff and ourselves back to work. Before, people would come to work if they were mildly ill. I've done that myself when I had a cold or a sore throat or something, and I should have been at home, but I pumped a bunch of Tylenol flu capsules and I did go to work.
In this new situation, if people are having any symptoms whatsoever, even mild, they should be cautious and stay at home. Therefore, I do believe, from a practical perspective, that sick leave is important for every worker. Of course, this has to be balanced with the financial responsibilities put on employers.
I can tell you that in Calgary, business owners have been squeezed in every possible direction, even before this COVID-19 pandemic.