There have been several developments across the country since
our previous blog post (Keeping Cool: An Employer’s Guide to
COVID-19 in the Workplace). On March 17, 2020, British
Columbia declared a state of emergency. It is initially in effect
for 14 days, but may be extended or rescinded as necessary. Other
provincial governments across the country are taking similar steps.
Saskatchewan and Ontario have also declared states of emergency,
and other provinces and territories have declared public health
emergencies.
The provincial responses to this pandemic have included some
recent amendments to employment standards legislation. As a result
of these amendments, employers are now obligated to provide
eligible employees with a job-protected, unpaid leaves of absence
due to illness and/or other issues associated with COVID-19. In
this blog post, we summarize some of the recent developments in
Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and British Columbia.
