Paid sick leave for B.C. kicks in Jan. 1
Posted December 30, 2021 1:42 pm.
Last Updated December 31, 2021 8:17 am.
With just two days left until the new year, the province is reminding British Columbians the rules around paid sick leave are about to change.
As of Jan. 1, most workers in B.C. will be entitled to a minimum of five paid sick days each year.
This applies to full-time and part-time workers who’ve been employed at their workplace for at least 90 days.
“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.”
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The province says it will give about a million people the ability to stay home when they’re sick. However, it does not apply to federal workers, the self-employed, or those who worked at a job for less than three months.
The government brought in three days of guaranteed sick leave as a pandemic measure, and later chose to make it permanent and add two more days.
Business groups have argued many employers can’t afford this new requirement, given the stresses of COVID-19.
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) has called the policy “tone-deaf” to the struggles of businesses during the pandemic.
CFIB claims 64 per cent of small businesses in B.C. don’t support mandatory, employer-paid sick leave, with most saying it’s because of the cost.
