Talk about a beautiful idea, British Columbia! Today, the BC government announced that it is becoming the first province to offer official Paid Sick Leave in the entire country. The new plan, which goes into effect next year, applies to full-time, part-time and even casual workers. Here’s what to know about it.
Starting on January 1st, 2022, all workers in BC that are covered by the Employment Standards Act will be entitled to 5 paid sick leave days a year, in addition to 3 unpaid days. While this doesn’t cover every employee in the province (federal employees and independent contractors are a couple of exceptions), it does apply to over 1 million workers in BC that currently don’t have paid sick leave. That’s a win in our books.
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BC workers shouldn’t have to choose between going to work sick or losing wages. Paid sick leave will be standard for workers in British Columbia beginning Jan. 1, 2022, with a minimum of five paid sick days each year. Learn more: https://t.co/mdkS7dTJeE pic.twitter.com/GViTfLCYun
— BC Government News (@BCGovNews) November 24, 2021
Employees will need to be at their jobs for at least 90 days to be entitled to BC’s Paid Sick Leave and may be asked to provide “sufficient proof of illness” by employers. Keep in mind though, that this covers any personal injury or illness, so if you don’t think it’s a good idea to go to work, then it probably isn’t.
What started as a part-time fix to help those dealing with COVID-19 has rolled into a permanent decision, and we couldn’t be happier! If you’d like to check out the official press release about Paid Sick Leave in BC, just click here.
