An Act to Amend the Employment Standards Act (No.2)
Chamber
pei
Stage
Introduced
This PEI bill gives employees up to five paid sick days per year, with unused days carrying over.
Key Changes
- Employees earn up to five paid sick days per calendar year after one month of continuous employment
- Paid sick days accrue at a rate of one day after 30 days of employment, then one day per month
- Unused paid sick days carry over to the next calendar year, reducing the number of new days that can be earned
- Employees must use paid sick days before any unpaid sick leave
- Employers must record and report each employee's accumulated and used paid sick days on pay statements
- The Minister may create a temporary financial support program to help employers offset increased costs
Gotchas
- The carry-forward provision reduces future earning potential: each carried-over day lowers the cap on new days earned the following year, so the maximum does not grow indefinitely
- The financial support program for employers is discretionary — the Minister 'may' implement it, meaning it is not guaranteed
- Any funding for the employer support program requires a separate appropriation by the Legislature, so it is not automatically funded by this bill
- The bill sets a pay rate formula based on average daily earnings over the 30 days before leave, excluding overtime, vacation pay, and gratuities, which may result in varying amounts for workers with irregular hours
- The bill comes into force either by proclamation or automatically 180 days after Royal Assent, whichever comes first
Who's Affected
- PEI employees who have worked continuously for at least one month
- PEI employers who must now provide and track paid sick leave
- Small businesses that may face increased payroll costs
- The provincial government, which may fund an employer support program
Vibes
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Gotchas
- The carry-forward provision reduces future earning potential: each carried-over day lowers the cap on new days earned the following year, so the maximum does not grow indefinitely
- The financial support program for employers is discretionary — the Minister 'may' implement it, meaning it is not guaranteed
- Any funding for the employer support program requires a separate appropriation by the Legislature, so it is not automatically funded by this bill
- The bill sets a pay rate formula based on average daily earnings over the 30 days before leave, excluding overtime, vacation pay, and gratuities, which may result in varying amounts for workers with irregular hours
- The bill comes into force either by proclamation or automatically 180 days after Royal Assent, whichever comes first
Summary
This bill amends Prince Edward Island's Employment Standards Act to create a paid sick leave entitlement for employees. Workers who have been continuously employed by the same employer for at least one month would earn up to five paid sick days per calendar year, accruing one day after 30 days of employment and one additional day at the start of each month after that. Any unused paid sick days at the end of the year can be carried forward to the next year, though they reduce the number of new days that can be earned that year. The bill also requires employers to track and record how many paid sick days each employee has accumulated and used, and to include this information on pay statements. Employees must use any available paid sick days before taking unpaid sick leave. The bill was introduced as a private member's bill by MLA Karla Bernard. It also allows the provincial Minister to create a temporary financial support program to help employers manage any increased costs that come with providing paid sick leave.
Automatically generated from bill text using Claude
Vibes
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