BC Just Became Canada's Latest Province To Offer Paid COVID-19 Sick Leave
Both full-time and part-time employees are eligible!
On Tuesday, May 11, B.C. announced that the province will now offer paid sick leave to all workers who need to miss work due to COVID-19 related reasons.
According to the B.C. government, this means anyone who is sick with COVID-19, awaiting results from a COVID-19 test, needs to self-isolate or is missing work to follow orders from either the province or their employer will now have three paid sick days off.
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All full-time and part-time employees are eligible, and nobody will need to provide a doctor's note to take that time off. Employers are legally required to pay staff their full wages, and the province says they will pay back employers without an existing sick leave program up to $200 a day per employee to make up for it.
According to a news release, these three paid sick days will only be offered until December 31. That being said, on January 1, 2022, the legislature says they will create permanent paid sick leave for workers dealing with any injury or illness.
B.C. is the fourth province to implement laws that offer paid sick days to workers. It follows Ontario, which just announced on April 29 they will also offer workers paid COVID-19 sick leave. Quebec employees who have been working with their company for at least three months are legally allowed to take two paid sick days. P.E.I. residents can take one paid day off after working five years at one place.