BC’s new paid sick day program, providing all eligible workers with a minimum of five paid days in the case of illness, is set to be implemented on January 1st, 2022.
In November, the provincial government released details surrounding the new permanent, paid sick leave program for employees covered by the Employment Standards Act in British Columbia.
According to the province, more than one million workers in BC do not currently have access to paid sick leave, mostly those in low-wage jobs.
“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.”
When considering the possibility of legislating a province-wide sick leave program, officials looked to other jurisdictions that have mandated paid sick leave, including in the United States, Australia, New Zealand and several European countries.
Research showed, after implementing a sick leave program, the cost increases for businesses was less than expected. In addition, many businesses experienced increased productivity and retention of trained staff, reduced risks of injury, improved morale and increased labour-force participation.
“Until now, about half of B.C. workers have been unable to stay home when sick without losing wages,” said Harry Bains, Minister of Labour.
“Many of those are lower-paid workers who can least afford to lose the money and, as a result, end up going to work sick. Paid sick leave is the right thing to do, and it is now in British Columbia permanently.”
Now, with the new year approaching, the benefits are set to begin.
Starting January 1st, eligible employees are entitled to a minimum of five paid sick days each year if they have worked at the organization for at least 90 days. This includes part time workers.
The act does not cover federally regulated sectors, self-employed workers and employees in professions and occupations explicitly excluded from the act.
For more information on the provincial government’s new paid sick leave benefit, visit their Paid Sick Leave website.
For more information and questions about specific work situations, employers and workers can contact the Employment Standards Branch’s Help Line at 1-833-236-3700.
BC is the first province in Canada to legislate a permanent minimum five days paid sick leave program at this level.
