Your obligations depend on whether you are a federally regulated employer or subject to provincial employment standards.
- Federal employers: You must provide 10 days of paid sick leave per year after 3 months of employment.
- Provincial employers: Rules vary by province.
- In Ontario: You must provide 3 unpaid, job-protected sick days per year after 2 weeks of employment. You don’t have to pay employees for these days unless your company policy or contract says so. In addition, the Ontario government has recently announced a new Long-Term Illness Leave which will require employers to provide employees with an unpaid, job protected leave of up to 27 weeks if the employee is unable to perform the duties of their position because of a serious medical condition. This new leave comes into effect on June 19, 2025.
- Employment contracts: You can offer more sick leave in contracts.
