B.C. NDP introduce bill to eliminate mandatory sick notes for short-term work absences

Courtney Dickson · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 15, 2025 5:22 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

British Columbia's labour curate is moving to destruct sick enactment requirements for short-term absences from enactment successful an effort to springiness doctors and nurses much clip with patients. 

The state said Tuesday that Jennifer Whiteside introduced Bill 11, which would amend the Employment Standards Act to clarify when employers tin and cannot request a sick note from workers. 

In December, Dr. Joss Reimer, president of the Canadian Medical Association, called for reducing mandatory sick notes. Canadian doctors spend an estimated 1.5 cardinal hours penning sick notes each year, according to the association.

The B.C. College of Family Physicians made a akin plea successful January. 

Right now, B.C. workers who person been employed with an enactment for much than 90 days are entitled to up to 5 paid and 3 unpaid days of job-protected illness oregon wounded permission — often referred to arsenic sick permission oregon sick days — per calendar year. 

According to the provincial website, employers tin petition "reasonably capable proof" of illness, which tin include a doctor's note, a receipt from a drugstore oregon pharmacy or a aesculapian bracelet from the hospital.

The changes successful Bill 11 will clarify that employers can't specifically request — and employees are not required to provide — a sick enactment written by a physician, caregiver practitioner oregon registered nurse as proof that the employee's short-term lack from enactment was related to unwellness oregon injury.

A steadfast acceptable of regulations volition beryllium established with input from stakeholders, the state said, and volition specify what constitutes a short-term absence. 

Eliminating sick enactment requirements was a cardinal committedness successful the B.C. NDP's provincial predetermination run past fall. 

Doctors of B.C. is praising the state for the move. 

"Requiring a sick diligent to permission their location tin bash much harm than good," Dr. Charlene Lui, the association's president, said successful a media release. "It tin hold the patient's betterment time, it tin enactment different patients astatine hazard of infection, and tin origin sicker patients to hold longer to spot the doctor."

The state expects the caller rules to beryllium successful spot anterior to the autumn respiratory unwellness season.