HONOURABLE HARRY BAINS
MINISTER OF LABOUR

BILL 5 – 2020

EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS AMENDMENT ACT, 2020

HER MAJESTY, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia, enacts as follows:

1 Section 52.5 of the Employment Standards Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 113, is amended

(a) by repealing subsection (4) and substituting the following:

(4) If an employee requests leave under subsection (3), the employee is entitled during each calendar year to

(a) up to 5 days of paid leave,

(b) up to 5 days of unpaid leave, and

(c) up to 15 weeks of additional unpaid leave.

(4.1) A leave under subsection (4) (a) or (b) may be taken by the employee in one or more units of time. ,

(b) in subsection (5) by striking out "subsection (4) (b)" and substituting "subsection (4) (c)", and

(c) by adding the following subsections:

(5.1) Subject to subsection (5.2), an employer must pay an employee who takes leave under subsection (4) (a) an amount in money equal to at least the amount calculated by multiplying the period of the leave and the average day's pay determined by the formula

  amount paid ÷ days worked
where
amount paid    is the amount paid or payable to the employee for work that is done during and wages that are earned within the 30 calendar day period preceding the leave, including vacation pay that is paid or payable for any days of vacation taken within that period, less any amounts paid or payable for overtime, and
days worked    is the number of days the employee worked or earned wages within that 30 calendar day period.

(5.2) An employer must pay an employee in a prescribed circumstance who takes leave under subsection (4) (a) an amount in money equal to at least the amount calculated in accordance with the regulations.

2 Section 127 (2) is amended by adding the following paragraph:

(u.1) for the purposes of section 52.5 (5.2),

(i) specifying circumstances, and

(ii) respecting calculation of minimum amounts, which regulations may be different for different circumstances; .

Commencement

3  This Act comes into force on the date of Royal Assent.