On April 6, 2020, the Alberta government issued a Ministerial Order to enact temporary changes
to the province's employment standards legislation, with the
stated intention of providing job protection for workers and
flexibility for employers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Alberta has been in a state of public health emergency since
March 17, 2020. On March 17, 2020, the government amended
employment standards legislation to introduce an unpaid,
job-protected leave of absence for employees in self-isolation or
self-quarantine as a result of COVID-19 (you can read more about
that in our earlier blog post
here). Since this announcement, the pandemic has continued to
have a significant impact on the Alberta economy, with Alberta now
having the highest unemployment rate in Canada. According to a government statement, the changes announced on
April 6 are intended to help Alberta employers respond
appropriately to the evolving public health measures, and to allow
employees
