As of December 1, 2022, The Government of Canada will be providing ten days of paid sick leave for employees who work in the federally regulated private sector.
These legislative changes can be found in the regulation to the Canada Labour Code titled, Regulations Amending Certain Regulations Made Under the Canada Labour Code (Medical Leave with Pay, SOR/2022-228.
The Regulation states at s. 331(1.21):
Maximum of 10 days
(1.21) Subject to the regulations, an employee is entitled to earn up to 10 days of medical leave of absence with pay in a calendar year or in a year used by the employer to calculate the annual vacation of their employees.
Federally regulated employees who have been continuously employed for at least 30 days will have access to their first three days of paid sick leave as of December 31, 2022. Starting on February 1, 2023, employees will acquire a fourth day of paid sick leave and will continue to accumulate one day of paid sick leave on the first day of each month, up to a maximum of 10 days per year.
This legislative change comes approximately one year after provincially regulated employers were required to provide up to five days of paid sick leave per year for any personal illnesses or injury. This change to the Employment Standards Act, RSBC 1996 c 113, s. 49.1.
Nikita Gush is an employment lawyer at Doak Shirreff Lawyers LLP. She can be reached at [email protected].
This article is for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. You are urged to seek specific legal advice to address your particular circumstance.