Changes would bring province in line with other provinces including Ontario, Manitoba, Quebec
British Columbia is looking to strengthen job security for workers dealing with serious health challenges through a proposed amendment to the Employment Standards Act.
If passed, the change would allow employees to take up to 27 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave within a 12-month period for medical treatment and recovery—bringing B.C. in line with other Canadian provinces and the federal Employment Insurance Sickness Benefits program.
“People should never have to choose between their job and their health,” said Premier David Eby. “This proposed amendment ensures that people with a serious injury or illness have the peace of mind to focus on their recovery, and employers will be better able to retain their skilled talent. This change is about making B.C. a better place to live and work.”
Ontario, Manitoba, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador have similar 27 weeks of unpaid job-protected sick leave, and Saskatchewan will soon have a similar leave in effect.
Job-protected leaves in B.C.
Eby told a news conference in Victoria that the change would take effect this fall if the bill is passed by his New Democrat majority government.
"It's hard to imagine anything more challenging or awful than facing a diagnosis of a major, catastrophic health issue like this," Eby said, according to the CBC.
"But knowing your job will be there when you're completing treatment, when you're able to return to employment, it's just one less thing for people to have to worry about."
Currently, B.C. law does not guarantee long-term job-protected leave for employees suffering from serious illness or injury. The amendment will ensure such protection is embedded in employment standards, complementing existing anti-discrimination laws.
A serious injury would include long-term injuries resulting from intimate-partner violence or a motor vehicle accident, says the government.
The leave would be available to any worker covered by the Act who is unable to work for at least seven consecutive days, and can be taken in multiple periods, not just one continuous leave, to make sure that workers requiring treatment, such as chemotherapy, or who suffer from episodic diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, have the time they need.
There are 245,000 people living with cancer in British Columbia, 42% of whom have survived more than 10 years after diagnosis, according to the government.
To access the entitlement, employees must obtain a medical certificate from a doctor or nurse practitioner stating that they are unable to work due to medical reasons and the dates during which leave is required.
The Ministry of Labour said it engaged with employer, worker and health-care advocates to help inform the legislation.
