Alberta's Employment Standards Code and Employment Standards
Regulationhave been amended to include compassionate care
leave. The amendments became effective February 1, 2014. Similar
legislation already exists in other Canadian provinces and in the
Canada Labour
Code, for those employers falling within the federal
jurisdiction.
Although many employers may have offered leave to an employee to
care for a critically ill family member either informally or
through an internal policy, the Code now provides clear
statutory obligations on both employers and employees.
The amendments will allow an employee who is the primary
caregiver of a seriously ill family member to take an unpaid,
job-protected leave of up to eight consecutive weeks. In order to
qualify, the employee must have worked for the employer for a
period of at least 52 consecutive weeks (part-time or full-time).
In addition, the employee must provide their employer with a
physician's certificate stating
