Nova Scotia bill would give workers 27-week unpaid leave for serious illness

HALIFAX — The Nova Scotia government has tabled a bill that would significantly increase the amount of unpaid time off for employees who develop a serious illness or are severely hurt on the job.

Introduced on Thursday, Labour Minister Jill Balser said if the bill becomes law, workers will get up to 27 unpaid weeks off without fear they will lose their jobs.

“Employees shouldn’t have to worry about anything but getting better,” Balser told reporters. “Eligible employees will have the job protection they need so they can focus on recovery.”

Currently, workers are permitted up to three unpaid days off, and the new bill adds another five days of unpaid leave for general illness.

Balser said the bill is the product of consultations with the Canadian Cancer Society, adding that it aligns with other Canadian jurisdictions, as well as the federal government’s employment insurance sickness benefit and employment insurance benefit.

Heather Mulligan, manager with the Canadian Cancer Society, said the bill is a “significant step forward” that will give Nova Scotians a stronger social safety net. She said 40 per cent of all people diagnosed with cancer are aged between 20 and 64.

“This allows those Nova Scotians who do not have adequate coverage through their employer to have that important social safety net to catch them so that they have options,” Mulligan told reporters after the bill was introduced. She said the legislation will assure Nova Scotians that their jobs are held for them and not reassigned in the event of a serious illness diagnosis or injury.

Liberal labour critic Lorelei Nicoll said she was “pleased” with the proposed bill, saying it’s an example of what governments can do when they put political differences aside. “It doesn’t matter what side of (the legislature) that we sit on when we come together and we represent what we hear from Nova Scotians,” Nicoll said.

If passed, the bill would also require reviews every five years of the province’s worker compensation system. And It would require co-operation between employer and employee on return-to-work plans for workers injured on the job.

Karen Adams, CEO of the Workers’ Compensation Board of Nova Scotia, told reporters the duty to co-operate is the most significant part of the legislation, and will help deliver an employee back to the workforce faster after an injury.

“This duty to co-operate legislation that has been introduced today helps employers, workers, and the Workers’ Compensation Board as well to all rally around that worker and ensure they get back to meaningful work,” Adams said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 5, 2024.

Cassidy McMackon, The Canadian Press