New legislation coming for workers required to take unpaid leave during self-isolation

The Province of Ontario says it will be introducing new legislation to “protect workers who are required to take unpaid leave during self-isolation or quarantine periods.”

In a release, the Office of the Premier says the legislation will include telling employers to “ensure protected leave” for those that need to self-isolate or quarantine, or care for someone who needs to do so. It will also remove the requirement of a sick note before taking leave for those purposes.

More details are expected to be released in the coming days.

Shortly after coming to office in 2018, Ford’s government repealed labour legislation introduced by the previous government that gave workers two paid sick days a year and banned the practice of requiring sick notes.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, who has been calling for such measures to be reinstated, says she wants the legislation to ensure people can take the time off work without losing a paycheque.

The government did not immediately say when the bill would come before the legislature, which is recessed for the next week.