Proposed amending legislation to the Employment Standards Act, 2000, (“Act”) introduced earlier this March by Ontario’s government will, if passed, result in three new unpaid, job-protected leaves:
- Family Caregiver Leave is up to 8 weeks of leave for employees to provide care and support to a family member with a serious medical condition. A doctor’s note will be required. This leave creates a separate entitlement from the current Family Medical Leave in the Act.
- Critically Ill Child Care Leave is up to 37 weeks of leave to provide care to a critically ill child upon provision of a doctor’s note. This leave is intended to complement new benefits under the federal Helping Families In Need Act.
- Crime-Related Child Death and Disappearance Act is up to 52 weeks of leave for parents of a missing child and up to 104 weeks of leave for parents of a child who has died as a result of a crime. As above, this leave is intended to complement benefits available under the federal Helping Families In Need Act.
We will keep you updated on the progress of this legislation.