Originally published April 6, 2021
A new job-protected leave has been announced for British Columbia employees to get vaccinated. This new leave allows employees to take time off work to receive the Covid-19 vaccine, and also extends to employees who need time off to take dependent family members to get vaccinated. The BC government has also announced plans to consult industry stakeholders on the feasibility of making this job-protected leave paid, which we will continue to monitor.
Changes have also been made to the existing job-protected leave in s. 52(12) of the Employment Standards Act, that allows employees time off work for reasons relating to Covid-19. This leave has been extended to now include unpaid leave to care for family members because of Covid-19 (and not only children and dependents), as well as allowing employees who are receiving medical treatment for underlying medical conditions, or who have contracted another illness that make them more susceptible to Covid-19, to take unpaid leave.
We will continue to monitor further developments and will provide further updates as they become available!
The foregoing provides only an overview and does not constitute legal advice. Readers are cautioned against making any decisions based on this material alone. Rather, specific legal advice should be obtained.
© McMillan LLP 2021
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