On October 20, 2025, the British Columbia government introduced Bill 30, the Employment Standards (Serious Illness or Injury Leave) Amendment Act, which proposes to expand job-protected leave under the Employment Standards Act (ESA).
If enacted, the amendments would provide eligible employees up to 27 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave within a 52-week period for a serious illness or injury. The purpose of this proposed leave is to support employees requiring long-term medical treatment and recovery.
Currently, the ESA provides employees five paid and three unpaid days of leave for illness or injury. The amendments proposed by Bill 30 would significantly expand these entitlements to address long-term absences due to illness and injury and align the leave with the duration of the federal Employment Insurance benefits program.
To qualify for this leave, employees must provide their employer with a medical certificate from a health practitioner confirming that they are unable to work due to their medical condition, including the expected start and end dates of the leave. In its current proposed form, the leave must be taken in increments of at least one week, either continuously or in separate periods, provided the employee meets the medical requirements.
While employees are already protected from termination of employment or discrimination related to medical absences under the B.C. Human Rights Code, the changes proposed under Bill 30 would establish a separate and additional statutory legal right to job-protected leave for long-term illness or injury.
If enacted, B.C. employers will need to update their leave policies and ensure that their human resources teams are aware of the upcoming changes. Employers are encouraged to begin reviewing their policies and planning for these potential changes.
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