On April 29, 2014, Bill 21, the Employment Standards Amendments Act (Leaves to Help Families), 2014, received royal assent after receiving all party support in the Ontario legislature. The Bill will come into force on October 30, 2014.
The new legislation creates three new job-protected leaves:
- Family Caregiver Leave: Up to eight weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for employees to provide care or support to a family member with a serious medical condition. Serious medical conditions can be episodic or chronic. The employee will be required to furnish a doctor's note certifying that the family member has a serious medical condition in order to qualify.
- Critically Ill Child Care Leave: Up to 37 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave to provide care to a critically ill child. The child in question must be under 18 years of age and the child's parent must have been employed for at least six consecutive months by his/her employer in order to qualify. The employee will be required to furnish a doctor's note certifying that the child is critically ill in order to qualify.
- Crime-Related Child Death or Disappearance Leave: Up to 52 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for parents of a missing child and up to 104 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for parents of a child who has died as a result of a crime. The child in question must be under 18 years of age and the child's parent must have been employed for at least six consecutive months by his/her employer in order to qualify.
We will provide more information as it becomes available.
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