A new Bill was introduced at the B.C. Legislative Assembly that could impact you if you plan on taking sick leave or short-term leaves of absence.
Jennifer Whiteside, B.C.’s health minister, introduced Bill 11, the Employment Standards Amendment Act 2025.
Whiteside says the Bill would work in two parts to “help ease the administrative burden on doctors and other health care providers, so they spend their precious time doing what is really important, caring for their patients.”
“It supports individual health and wellbeing by removing the burden of being required to get a medical note from a health care professional to show their employers in order to take short-term sick leave,” she added.
According to law professionals in B.C., an employer can request a sick note if an employee declares absence from work because of a sickness or an employee returns to work and requests accommodations for their illness.
Sick notes must include the length of absence and the date they visited a health care professional, but policies can differ depending on your employer.
Whiteside claims that removing this “burden” would save health care professionals thousands of hours yearly.
“This is just one part of our efforts to strengthen health care and improve the lives of British Columbians,” she said.
“When you’re sick, the last thing you should have to do is go to your doctor or a medical clinic in order to get a piece of paper saying you’re sick.”
“Not only is that difficult for a sick person to do, but it doesn’t help you get better any faster or prevent the spread of illness.”
The sick leave Bill was approved for a second reading during 1st session at the B.C. Legislative Assembly on Tuesday morning.
“The regulation will be implemented prior to respiratory illness season in fall 2025,” the ministry says.
Does your employer currently require you to provide a doctor’s note for sick leave? How do you feel about the proposed change?