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| Backgrounder(s) & FactSheet(s): | Backgrounder |
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| Backgrounder(s) & FactSheet(s): | Backgrounder |
VICTORIA – The Province is expanding the range of family relationships eligible for job protection during compassionate care leave, Labour and Citizens’ Services Minister Olga Ilich announced today.
“Those who care for gravely ill loved ones do so out of kindness and compassion,” said Ilich. “It’s important that our regulation recognizes the diversity of family relationships.”
Under the Employment Standards Act, an employee who requests time away from work to provide care or support for a terminally-ill loved one is eligible for up to eight weeks of unpaid leave. The period of leave would be taken in periods of not less than one week.
This wider array of family relationships for provincially regulated employees matches recently revised federal provisions. On June 15, 2006, the federal government expanded the range of family relationships eligible for compassionate care Employment Insurance benefits and job-protected leave under the Canada Labour Code for federally-regulated employees.
“It is vital to the care of terminally ill patients that they have comfort from those closest to them,” said Wayne Peterson, executive director of the Victoria Hospice Society. “This amendment gives more people the freedom to take time off work in order to provide that very special care.”
The Employment Standards Act provides job protection for pregnancy, parental, family-related and bereavement leave as well as for jury duty. The same protection is offered for the purposes of caring for a loved one, as defined in the act, who is at risk of death within 26 weeks.
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Communications Director Ministry of Labour and Citizens’ Services 250 387-2699 |
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For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca. |
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