Will employees in Ontario be given paid time off to be vaccinated

Interview Summary

As news is announced that Saskatchewan will be introducing a three-hour paid leave to allow employees to be vaccinated during work hours, Canadians in other provinces and territories are questioning whether this will be implemented across the country. What rights do employees have in regards to vaccinations? Will other provinces be influenced by Saskatchewan?

Alex Lucifero, an Ottawa employment lawyer and partner at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP joins Leslie Roberts on Newstalk 580 CFRA to answers these questions and more.

Interview Notes

Will all workers get paid time off to be vaccinated in Ontario?

It will likely depend on the province and likely vary depending on the provincial government. Ontario’s provincial government has been hesitant to legislate paid sick leave in the past.

Will employees have an argument that receiving a vaccine during work hours will benefit the company?

Regardless of what a government imposes, an employer and employee can communicate and come to an agreement for the time off to be paid. There is value in incentivizing employees to be vaccinated in order to have a safer and healthier work environment, particularly those who work in lower-paid positions.

What rights do employers have in regards to employees who refuse to be vaccinated?

While employers at this time cannot mandate vaccinations in the workplace, employees who are not vaccinated will need to be accommodated. There are health and safety measures that can be put into place, such as isolation, remote working, etc. that can be implemented in order to accommodate. However, in the healthcare sector, there could be possible requirements for employees to be vaccinated.

Have there been a large number of layoffs due to the pandemic?

There has been an increase in terminations and many larger employers implement mass layoffs and restructuring. Many employees have been offered smaller severance packages than they deserve.

Is there a rule of thumb regarding severance entitlements?

Severance is calculated based on a number of factors including the age of an employee, their length of service and position within a company, among others. You should always speak to an employment lawyer at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP about severance pay BEFORE you sign any offer from your employer.