On October 20, 2025 the BC government introduced Bill 30: Employment Standards (Serious Illness or Injury Leave) Amendment Act, 2025. If passed, Bill 30 will amend the Employment Standards Act (the “ESA”) to provide employees with up to 27 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave within a 12 month period, due to serious personal illness or injury.
Currently, the ESA does not provide for a lengthy job-protected leave for employees dealing with their own serious illness or injury. However, the BC Human Rights Code prohibits employers from discriminating on the basis of an employee’s disability. The BC government has stated Bill 30 aims to build the job protection into the ESA.
This new job protected leave would apply to all employees covered by the ESA who have a serious personal illness or injury and who have been unable to work for at least seven consecutive days. To access the leave, employees must provide a medical certificate from a doctor or nurse practitioner. The leave would not have to be taken as one continuous leave, but instead could be taken in multiple periods. If the bill is passed, the proposed amendment is anticipated to take effect later this year.
Once passed, Bill 30 would bring BC in alignment with other provinces who already provide similar job protected leaves. The amendment is also intended to bring BC into alignment with income supports available to employees through the federal Employment Insurance Sickness Benefits Program.
We will continue to monitor Bill 30 as it progresses through the legislature and provide updates when they become available.
Bill 30 is notably the second proposed change to the ESA we have seen this year which will impact how employers manage employee illness and injury. Earlier this year, Bill 11 proposed changes regarding sick notes for short-term absences. Bill 11 received royal assent but has not yet come into force by order in council.
If you have any questions regarding these legislative developments, please contact your Harris lawyer.
