A bad idea turns into a game-changer Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up here to get it delivered weekday mornings. After months of dismissing legislated paid sick leave as a solution to a spike in COVID cases, Ontario's labour minister formally announced a version of the measure. "This is a game-changer," said Monte McNaughton. "This will save lives." The minister's plan will see every worker allocated up to three days off, paid for by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, before the program winds down near the end of September. The total cost could reach $1.5 billion. Watch the full tape. Worth noting: Doug Ford's government isn't the only one under fire for lack of pandemic sick leave. B.C.'s John Horgan says he was hoping the federal budget would beef up a benefit for workers—and when that didn't happen, bureaucrats went back to the drawing board. He's promised to add more detail "in the days ahead." (Almost a year ago, Horgan first promised he'd "go it alone" if the feds didn't create an adequate national leave plan.) The province's auditor general, Bonnie Lysyk, passed judgment on the Ford government's preparedness for outbreaks in long-term care homes. More than 3,700 residents and staff have died during the pandemic. Lysyk's audit found that the ministry and the facilities themselves "were not sufficiently prepared or equipped to respond to the issues created by the pandemic in an effective and expedient manner." Read the full summary. J&J is here: No inaugural vaccine shipment would be complete without a stoic photo op. Procurement Minister Anita Anand was on hand for the Janssen vaccine's first touchdown in Canada yesterday. Doses still need to be distributed across the country, and this particular shot still isn't on a federal website tracking deliveries. A military mess: Global News dropped a pair of bombshells yesterday. First, the network reported on a private Facebook group that posted disparaging messages about Maj. Kellie Brennan, the woman at the centre of misconduct allegations facing retired general Jonathan Vance. Global journalists also obtained documents that show military police dropped a probe into Vance only several days after he was sworn in as chief of the defence staff in 2015. CBC News also revealed that senior military leaders submitted positive character references for a man who was found guilty of sexually assaulting the wife of another man in the same regiment. Kevin Schamuhn's wife was assaulted on two separate occasions. "It was an extremely painful betrayal," he said. "By far, worse than anything I had ever experienced in combat." A travel ban in name only: Last Friday, B.C.'s solicitor general laid down new restrictions on intraprovincial travel. Mike Farnworth decreed that violators could be fined up to $575. Yesterday, Premier Horgan admitted the clampdown was not yet backed by any enforcement. The premier said the government only makes the laws; police do the policing. Northern touch: Yukon's Liberals and New Democrats have patched together a formal governing agreement that will stretch almost two years. The parties' deal includes stronger emissions reductions targets, a $15.20 minimum wage and territorial dental care. The NDP holds the balance of power in the minority parliament—but agreed to prop up the Liberals. Infrastructure bluster: The parliamentary budget office peered into its crystal ball for an estimate on Canadian Infrastructure Bank spending over the next seven years. The high-profile crown corp pledged to invest $35 billion by 2028. The PBO found the CIB is "on track to disburse roughly $16 billion in infrastructure investments by 2027-28, an estimated $19-billion shortfall." That's "somewhat below" the average spending rate of comparable public-private investors. Final voyage: After nearly 25 years ferrying passengers between Prince Edward Island and the tiny Magdalen Islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the feds are paying a company in Port Colborne, Ont., to dismantle the MV Madeleine. The ship, which spans more than 400 feet and carries 750 passengers, was built in 1981 and served a string of Ireland-to-England routes before Transport Canada made the purchase in 1997. Spot the Madeleine in the idyllic harbour of Cap-aux-Meules, Que. Going...going... Remember the drug boat the feds put up for auction last November? Well, the MV Cedar Spirit—which once housed both a heap of cocaine later seized by the RCMP and this entertaining reading material—attracted no bidders. Now, the yacht is back on the block, and the feds lowered the asking price from $225,000 to $180,000. The gambit appears to have paid off: Someone put in a bid. Calling all readers: Last week, Maclean's director of photography Liz Sullivan spotted a thank-you board on which vaccinated visitors posted notes of gratitude to health-care workers. Have you encountered something like this? Let us know! Send us your vaccine appreciation stories. —Nick Taylor-Vaisey | 