Now that we have persevered through one year of the COVID-19
pandemic, much has been written about pandemic fatigue and
associated social isolation, mental stress, and anxiety. Employers
may be seeing an increase in the incidence of mental illness claims
in their workplaces. Statistics Canada conducted an online
questionnaire in April-May 2020,
Canadians' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic,
which found that over half of the participants reported a worsening
of their mental health since the start of physical distancing
measures. Of those participants, 41% reported the kind of symptoms
consistent with moderate or severe anxiety. These participants also
reported higher stress levels. Ten months after Statistics Canada
conducted that questionnaire, the experience of worsening mental
health, anxiety and stress has likely increased. In the
circumstances, now may be an appropriate time to review the
employer's duty to accommodate with respect to mental
illness.
