Paid Sick Days in BC

In Canada, employees have access to a wide range of legislated leaves, and employers have to manage the administrative requirements of each type, guarantee compliance, all while ensuring privacy and confidentiality are adhered to.  This can often be a complex task for the organization, and it is becoming increasingly more so as new legislation is introduced around the issue of short-term sick leave.

The British Columbia government recently announced sick leave amendments to the Employment Standards Act.  Effective May 20, 2021, full and part time employees are eligible for three days of paid sick leave if the absence is related to COVID19. This could include the employee exhibiting symptoms, being required to self-isolate or waiting on a test result. This is a departure from previous practices where it was up to the employer, a workplace policy, an employment contract, or a collective agreement to determine whether the employee received pay for short term sick leave absences.  

For now, workers will have access to these sick days, although this is not a permanent arrangement.  The bill is expected to be repealed on December 31, 2021, and new legislation will ultimately create permanent paid sick leave access for workers who cannot work due to any illness or injury as of January 1st of 2022.

So, who pays for this leave?  Well, in BC the employer will be required to pay the workers their full wages for up to three days, and the province will reimburse those without an existing sick leave program up to $200 per day for each worker to cover costs. WorkSafeBC will administer this program and have developed an employer online application and reimbursement program.

For more information on longer term leaves, absences, and employer responsibilities visit https://www2.gov.bc.ca/  or call Sarkany- we are here to help.