Illness or Injury Leave (paid). Serious Personal Illness or Injury Leave (unpaid). Maternity Leave (unpaid). Parental Leave (unpaid). Family Responsibility Leave (unpaid). Compassionate Care Leave (unpaid). Critical Illness or Injury Leave (unpaid). Annual Vacation (paid). COVID-19-Related Leave (unpaid). Leave for COVID-19 Vaccination (paid).
Version 5 · effective from · verified on
Verification: approved by a person (carried over from Juriset's first release).
Programs
Name
Illness or Injury Leave
Paid
yes
Condition
After 90 days of employment, employees can take up to 5 paid days and 3 unpaid days of job-protected leave per calendar year. Unused illness or injury leave doesn't carry over from year to year. The employer must pay at least an average day's pay for each day of paid leave taken.
Funded by
employer
Annual max
5
Leave type
sick
Job protected
yes
Annual max unit
days
Name
Serious Personal Illness or Injury Leave
Paid
no
Condition
Regardless of how long they have been employed, employees can take up to 27 weeks of unpaid leave within any 52-week period if they can't work due to their own illness or injury.
Annual max
27
Leave type
family_medical
Job protected
yes
Annual max unit
weeks
Name
Maternity Leave
Paid
no
Condition
Pregnant employees can take up to 17 consecutive weeks of unpaid maternity leave. After the birth: Leave continues for at least 6 weeks after the birth. If the employee is unable to return to work for reasons related to childbirth, the leave can be extended for 6 weeks (for a total of 12 weeks). Termination of pregnancy: Employees can take up to 6 consecutive weeks of leave starting on the date a pregnancy ends. If the employee is unable to return to work for reasons related to the pregnancy ending, the leave can be extended for 6 weeks (for a total of 12 weeks).
Upcoming changes
No published changes are waiting to take effect.
Change history
Province: British Columbia
Version
Effective
Published
Change
Value
5in effect
correction
paid_leave in ca-bc: version 5, effective 2026-10-24, published (correction); replaces version 3
Illness or Injury Leave (paid). Serious Personal Illness or Injury Leave (unpaid). Maternity Leave (unpaid). Parental Leave (unpaid). Family Responsibility Leave (unpaid). Compassionate Care Leave (unpaid). Critical Illness or Injury Leave (unpaid). Annual Vacation (paid). COVID-19-Related Leave (unpaid). Leave for COVID-19 Vaccination (paid).
3superseded
new
paid_leave in ca-bc: version 3, effective 2026-10-24, published (new)
Illness or Injury Leave (paid). Serious Personal Illness or Injury Leave (unpaid). Maternity Leave (unpaid). Parental Leave (unpaid). Family Responsibility Leave (unpaid). Compassionate Care Leave (unpaid). Critical Illness or Injury Leave (unpaid). Annual Vacation (paid).
The response holds everything on this page, including each level's sources. See the API docs; a free key is enough for today's rule.
Informational only. Not legal advice. Verify with the cited source.
Annual max
17
Leave type
family_medical
Job protected
yes
Annual max unit
weeks
Name
Parental Leave
Paid
no
Condition
Employees can take up to 62 weeks of unpaid parental leave. Both parents can take 1 full period of parental leave. Parental leave can begin at any time within 78 weeks of a baby being born or a child being placed. It can be extended by up to 5 weeks if the child needs more care due to a physical, psychological, or emotional condition. A pregnant employee can take up to 61 weeks of unpaid parental leave after their maternity leave.
Annual max
62
Leave type
family_medical
Job protected
yes
Annual max unit
weeks
Name
Family Responsibility Leave
Paid
no
Condition
Up to 5 days of unpaid leave in each employment year to help with the care, health, or education of a child under the age of 19 in their care. An employment year begins on the date the employee started work. An employee can also ask for this type of leave to care for the health of any other member of their immediate family. Family responsibility leave does not accumulate from year to year.
Annual max
5
Leave type
family_medical
Job protected
yes
Annual max unit
days
Name
Compassionate Care Leave
Paid
no
Condition
Up to 27 weeks of unpaid compassionate care leave within a 52-week period to care for a family member who is terminally ill.
Annual max
27
Leave type
family_medical
Job protected
yes
Annual max unit
weeks
Name
Critical Illness or Injury Leave
Paid
no
Condition
The employee can take up to 36 weeks to care for a child and up to 16 weeks to care for a family member over the age of 19.
Leave type
family_medical
Job protected
yes
Annual max unit
weeks
Name
Annual Vacation
Paid
yes
Condition
Vacation must be taken within 12 months of being earned. Vacation pay is at least 4 percent of all wages paid in the previous year; after 5 years of employment, at least 6 percent. When employment ends: If an employee works for less than a year, they need to be paid 4 percent annual vacation pay. Employees who are employed for 5 calendar days or less are not entitled to be paid annual vacation pay.
Funded by
employer
Annual max
2
Leave type
vacation
Service tiers
Annual max
2
Service min months
12
Vacation pay percent
4
Annual max
3
Service min months
60
Vacation pay percent
6
Annual max unit
weeks
Vacation pay percent
4
Eligibility service months
12
Name
COVID-19-Related Leave
Paid
no
Condition
An employee doesn't need to be employed for a certain amount of time to take this leave. An employee can take unpaid, job-protected leave related to COVID-19 if they're unable to work for any of the following reasons: assisting a dependant being vaccinated against COVID-19; diagnosed with COVID-19 and following the instructions of a medical health officer or the advice of a doctor or nurse; in isolation or quarantine and acting in accordance with an order of the provincial health officer, an order made under the Quarantine Act (Canada), guidelines from the BC Centre for Disease Control, or guidelines from the Public Health Agency of Canada; the employer has directed the employee not to work due to concern about exposure to others; need to provide care to an eligible person for a reason related to COVID-19, including a school, daycare, or similar facility closure; outside of BC and unable to return to work due to travel or border restrictions; more susceptible to COVID-19 in the opinion of a medical professional because of an underlying health condition, ongoing treatment, or other illness and receiving Canada recovery sickness benefits for the leave. During this public health emergency, they can take this job-protected leave for as long as they need it. Once it is no longer needed, this leave will be removed from the Employment Standards Act. Act Part 6, Section 52.12.
Leave type
sick
Job protected
yes
Name
Leave for COVID-19 Vaccination
Paid
yes
Condition
Employees can take up to 3 hours of paid leave to be vaccinated against COVID-19. If necessary, they can take additional paid leave for additional doses. Employees are entitled to this leave no matter how long they have been employed. The employer needs to pay the employee at least their average hourly wage for each hour of leave they take, up to 3 hours. Act Part 6, Section 52.13.
After 90 days of employment, employees can take up to 5 paid days and 3 unpaid days of job-protected leave per calendar year. … Unused illness or injury leave doesn't carry over from year to year. … If an employee qualifies for this leave, the employer must pay at least an average day’s pay for each day of paid leave taken. … Regardless of how long they have been employed, employees can take up to 27 weeks of unpaid leave within any 52-week period if they can't work due to their own illness or injury. … Pregnant employees can take up to 17 consecutive weeks of unpaid maternity leave. … Employees can take up to 62 weeks of unpaid parental leave. Both parents can take 1 full period of parental leave. … An employee can take up to 5 days of unpaid leave in each employment year to help with the care, health, or education of a child under the age of 19 in their care. An employment year begins on the date the employee started work. … Employees are entitled to take up to 27 weeks of unpaid compassionate care leave within a 52-week period to care for a family member who is terminally ill. … An employee can take unpaid leave to care for a family member whose health has significantly changed as a result of an illness or injury, if the life of the family member is at risk. The employee can take up to 36 weeks to care for a child and up to 16 weeks to care for a family member over the age of 19. … Types of job-protected leaves … When leave ends, an employee can come back to their job or one like it.
After 12 months, they get 2 weeks of annual vacation. After 5 years, they get 3 weeks of annual vacation. … Vacation must be taken within 12 months of being earned. … Vacation pay is at least 4 percent of all wages paid in the previous year. After the employee completes 5 years of employment, the employer must pay vacation pay of at least 6 percent of all wages earned in the previous year.