Listen Live
Listen Live

B.C. workers given three hours of paid leave for COVID-19 shots

Amendments made to the Employment Standards Act will now allow B.C.’s workers to take up to three hours of paid leave to get each dose of their COVID-19 vaccine.

The Provincial Government said the rules are now in effect and will work retroactively to April 19th.

Bill 3 has officially become a law to ensure no employee will lose pay if they take time away from work to get their shot. It applies to both full-time and part-time workers.

“Guaranteeing paid leave for workers to get vaccinated is an important way to keep workers safe, while reducing risks to businesses. Our government believes it’s in everyone’s interest to remove all barriers to a worker getting vaccinated when they are eligible to do so,” said Harry Bains, Minister of Labour. “Supporting workers to get their COVID-19 vaccine when it’s their turn will greatly benefit everyone. 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.”

The province said the legislation builds off of changes made that provide unpaid job-protected leave for workers taking time off to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

“This unpaid leave remains in place to supplement the new paid time off, for example, to accompany 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,” said the B.C. Government.

The amendment will be in place through the COVID-19 pandemic until repealed by regulation.

Continue Reading

chnv Now playing play

ckkc Now playing play

- Advertisement -

Related Articles

- Advertisement -

Latest News

Friends of Kootenay Lake Stewards host fall events at Harrop Wetland and annual Kootenay Lake Summit

Friends of Kootenay Lake Stewardship Society is inviting community members to participate in a series of hands-on events this fall at the Harrop Wetland and to join the upcoming Kootenay Lake Summit.

Former Nelson public works director, councillor Bob Adams dies at 82

After 26 years looking after the city's infrastructure, Adams served four terms on city council.

Infrastructure, housing, UNDRIP will top agenda as local governments meet in Victoria next week

Members of local governments and First Nations are gathering in Victoria next week for the annual Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) convention.

B.C. Conservatives support federal bill to classify intimate partner killings as first-degree murder

B.C. politicians are voicing support for a federal Conservative bill that would classify the killing of an intimate partner as first-degree murder. 

Whitewater eyes funding to pave access road

Whitewater Ski Resort is asking the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) to back its bid to pave a six-kilometre stretch of the Whitewater Access Road.
- Advertisement -