Amendments to the Employment Standards Act providing workers with up to three hours of paid leave to get each dose of their COVID-19 vaccine are now in effect, the provincial government said Wednesday.
The amendments apply to both full-time and part-time employees and is retroactive to April 19.
"Supporting workers to get their COVID-19 vaccine when it's their turn will greatly benefit everyone," labour minister Harry Bains said in a press release. "Workers will be able to protect themselves and their families from this terrible virus, businesses can protect staff and customers from getting sick, and communities will benefit from reducing the chance of an outbreak."
Employees had been allowed unpaid leave to get vaccinated. The provision remains in place for such instances as accompanying dependant family members to get vaccinated or in the event a worker needs more than three hours of paid leave to travel to their vaccine appointment.
