The Government of British Columbia announced significant
planned revisions to the Employment Standards Act on April 29,
2019.
Bill 8, the Employment Standards Amendment Act, 2019 (“Bill 8”) was introduced
on April 29, 2019 and is on its first reading in the Legislative
Assembly of British Columbia. If passed in its current form,
there will be substantial changes to the Employment
Standards Act (the “ESA”). The
Government has stated that the proposed changes were designed to,
among other things, protect children and service workers on the
job, make it easier for employees to file complaints with the
Employment Standards Branch, and provide additional job protected
leaves. Bill 8 would also implement several other major
administrative and substantive amendments to the ESA. The following
are highlights of Bill 8 which, if passed into law, will be of
great interest to employers and employees in British Columbia:
