Bottom Line
On July 21, 2022, the Ontario Government
announced that the COVID-19 Worker Income Protection
Benefit would be extended to March 31, 2023. The benefit program
reimburses employers for providing paid days of infectious disease
emergency leave (“IDEL”) in accordance with section
50.1(1.2) of the Employment Standards Act,
2000 (“ESA”).
The Ontario Government has now filed O. Reg.
464/22 to effect the extension to paid IDEL. O. Reg.
464/22 amends the Infectious Disease Emergency Leave Regulation (O. Reg.
288/20) under the ESA.
Prior to these developments, paid IDEL was set to expire on July
31, 2022.
Paid Infectious Disease Emergency Leave
Paid IDEL is a job-protected leave available to Ontario
employees under the ESA. Employees are eligible to
take up to three days of paid IDEL if they are unable to work for
reasons relating to COVID-19. Examples of circumstances that may
attract entitlement to paid IDEL include where the employee is:
