Canadian federal drivers gain 10 additional days of sick leave.

Some good news for Canadian driver’s who are employed by federally regulated fleets. Starting December 1, 2022, drivers can now accrue up to 10 days of sick leave curtesy of Bill C-3. These days will be in addition to the five the personal days that are already written into the Canada Labour Code.

This is a boon to drivers as we now live in a world hyper-aware of colds and germs having traversed the coronavirus pandemic. People are more aware than ever about staying home while feeling unwell. And while although as drivers, contact with others if often limited, it will be nice to have those days to stay home and get better instead of worrying about putting in miles.

How do these additional hours work?

While Bill C-3 came into effect December 1, 2022, that means that drivers can begin to accrue after this date, but they will have to work 30 days before the days become applicable for use. So even though a driver starts to accrue December 1, they will not be able to use any days until January. After the 30-day mark three days will become available and drivers will gain one additional day per month employed up to a maximum of 10 days.

The amount of sick pay available will be based on the average wage of the last 20 days and do not include bonuses and overtime.

Unused days can be credited to the next year, but up to a maximum 10 in the following year. So, you still cannot accrue more than 10. So, for example you use nine of the 10 days you’ve accrued. The one day unused can roll over meaning your will accrue your 10 days earlier in the year for use if you become ill.

This will put the onus on employers to make sure that these days are not being abused. Employees can be incentivized to not use all sick days by offering to pay out the unused days in a given year.

This is one more step to better employer and employee relations as both sides can reap the benefits- employers have happier, more loyal employees, and employees can take time to recover and feel better and more valuable to their employers.