Kelowna 
British Columbia has become the first province in Canada to legislate paid time off for workers beginning Jan. 1, 2022.
Effective in the new year, paid sick leave will be standard for all workers in B.C. covered by the Employment Standards Act, including part-time workers with a minimum of five paid sick days each year.
This new leave is for employees who have worked for at least 90 days for the current employer. The employees will also get 3 days of unpaid sick leave currently provided by the Employment Standards Act.
The Employment Standards Act does not cover federally regulated sectors, self-employed workers and employees in professions and occupations explicitly excluded from the ESA.
“Beginning in the new year, workers will no longer lose pay for making the responsible choice of taking a sick day,” said Premier John Horgan. “The pandemic has highlighted that when workers don’t have paid sick leave, it’s bad for them, it’s bad for their co-workers and it’s bad for their employers.”
As per the news release, the Province consulted with more than 60,000 workers and employers around B.C. to find out what currently exists in the way of paid sick leave and to gather feedback on three options – three, five or 10 days of paid sick leave – to come into effect in the new year.
The feedback from this consultation found that most workers take between zero and five days of sick leave each year.
Minister of Labour Harry Bains noted that in the current labour shortage, workers are looking for additional benefits like paid sick leave, adding that this measure will help build a resilient workforce in British Columbia regardless of the challenges faced in the future.
