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I am an employer. Regarding Ontario paid sick days from Covid:
1) If I paid an employee last year for 3 sick days, are they entitled for 3 more days this year?
2) Are the employees entitled to a full days salary for the 3 paid sick days, or only up to $200 per day?
Thank you!
Thank you for your question. Employees are now eligible for paid "infectious disease emergency leave" (or IDEL) under the Ontario Employment Standards Act. The new provisions provide paid leave for several COVID-related reasons, including becoming ill with COVID.
Ontario employees can now access three paid sick days (technically, IDEL days) if they are impacted by COVID-19. An employee qualifies for up to three days of paid leave of absence if they will not be performing their duties for a number of different reasons.
An employee can receive up to $200 per day of paid leave, and potentially less if the employee's regular wages are less than $200 per day, in which case the employee would receive their regular wages for the day.
Paid sick days in Ontario will expire on July 31, 2022. However, any worker who has been employed for at least two weeks is entitled to up to three days of unpaid sick leave a year.
Someone who has been ordered to self-isolate will not be terminated for taking more than three sick days, as that worker could rely on the IDEL, rather than sick days.
Many workplaces offer more than three days of unpaid sick leave, and some of those days will be paid, but unless the employer has such a sick policy, the Ministry of Labour, which is in charge of enforcing the ESA, cannot require employers to provide more than what the ESA provides.
If you would like a more fulsome assessment, please feel free to contact us to schedule a formal consultation.
Ontario employees can now access three paid sick days (technically, IDEL days) if they are impacted by COVID-19. An employee qualifies for up to three days of paid leave of absence if they will not be performing their duties for a number of different reasons.
An employee can receive up to $200 per day of paid leave, and potentially less if the employee's regular wages are less than $200 per day, in which case the employee would receive their regular wages for the day.
Paid sick days in Ontario will expire on July 31, 2022. However, any worker who has been employed for at least two weeks is entitled to up to three days of unpaid sick leave a year.
Someone who has been ordered to self-isolate will not be terminated for taking more than three sick days, as that worker could rely on the IDEL, rather than sick days.
Many workplaces offer more than three days of unpaid sick leave, and some of those days will be paid, but unless the employer has such a sick policy, the Ministry of Labour, which is in charge of enforcing the ESA, cannot require employers to provide more than what the ESA provides.
If you would like a more fulsome assessment, please feel free to contact us to schedule a formal consultation.