In the spirit of giving as we head into the holiday season, the Alberta government has bestowed a substantial change to the provincial employment standards legislation by amending the Employment Standards Regulation.
Effective January 1, 2026, the maximum duration of the job protected leave for long term illness and injury under Alberta's Employment Standards Code will increase from 16 weeks per calendar year to 27 weeks per calendar year. This change will bring Alberta's long term illness and injury leave into line with other major Canadian jurisdictions, such as Ontario, British Columbia and Saskatchewan, which recently introduced 27 week leaves.
The other entitlements and obligations under Division 7.5 of the Employment Standard Code, including reinstatement, remain unchanged.
For employers, the 11-week extension to job-protected illness and injury leaves marks a sentinel shift and will likely necessitate updates to workplace policies and disability management procedures. As a New Year's resolution, employers should be reviewing their policies and procedures to ensure compliance with the new legislative requirements.
This extended statutory leave and other important updates are included in the Annotated Alberta Employment Standards Code, authored by the Bennett Jones Employment Services group.
For information on recent changes to sick and personal illness and injury leaves under the British Columbia Employment Standards Act, please see our latest update.
