The Saskatchewan government has passed several amendments to the provincial Employment Act that will impact employers’ leave policies.
The amendments include the creation of a new 16-week unpaid interpersonal violence leave in addition to the existing 10-day leave, of which five are paid and five are unpaid.
Employers will also no longer be able to ask for a sick note unless the employee has been absent for more than five consecutive working days or has been absent twice for two or more days in the preceding 12 months. The duration of long-term sick leave will also be extended from 12 to 27 weeks.
Read: B.C. amendment will stop employers from asking for ‘unnecessary’ sick notes
The amendments will also extend maternity leave to employees who experience a loss of pregnancy up to 20 weeks before the estimated due date, instead of the current 13 weeks.
In addition, employees will now be able to access bereavement leave within six months of a death rather than a week before or after the funeral, permitting leave for the death of a person the employee considers to be family and for the loss of a pregnancy of an employee or an employee’s immediate family.
“Our labour legislation supports a growing economy and protects the rights of employees,” said Deputy Premier and Minister of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety Jim Reiter, in a press release. “We are committed to delivering a fair and balanced working environment through modern legislation to attract investment and ensure Saskatchewan continues to be a great place to work.”
Read: A look at current provincial policies on bereavement leave