Over the past couple of weeks the government has discussed and unveiled a number of workplace reforms in the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, which have been said to include:

  • Equal pay for equal work
  • Three weeks vacation after 5 years in a job
  • $15 minimum wage by 2019
  • Reducing hurdles to unionization
  • 3 hour rule
  • 10 personal emergency days a year, with two of them paid

For more information on the Liberal government's proposals, please read our earlier blogs on this matter:

May 17, 2017: Is a $15 Minimum Wage, More Unionization and a Minimum 3 Week Vacation on the Horizon?

June 1, 2017: Update: Ontario Liberals Announce Changes To Labour Law—And A $15 Minimum Wage

In a recent article released by The Star, sick days is put front and center.

Currently, some employers still require doctor's notes when an employee takes a sick day, however, under the new legislation that is to take effect next January, it will be one less thing for people to worry about. The changes will take precedence over any terms in collective agreements.

Not only does this benefit employees, it also helps doctors and nurses by allowing them to focus on those who are in need of medical attention rather than just a doctors note. In addition, it allows workers to stay home and rest, limiting the chance of spreading germs around and potentially causing others to get sick.

In the past, some patients paid for doctor's notes because they were not covered under provincial health insurance. For many doctors, these patients would arrive well after they recovered from their illness, making hard to verify if their patient was ever sick in the first place.

Now, under the new legislation, a couple of reasons you may use the proposed personal emergency days for include (but are not limited to):

  • Illness
  • Taking care of sick family members
  • Domestic or sexual violence
  • Threat of domestic or sexual violence

The Ontario Medical Association and a number of professionals are applauding this move by the government, such as Dr. Ruth Heisey, chief of family medicine at Women's College who said it makes "good common sense" from a public health perspective.

However, among all of these benefits for employees, once the employee misses more than the allotted 10 days a year, employers will be entitled to request a sick note.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.