Now in effect: B.C.’s expanded job-protected leave

December 4, 2025

Workers in British Columbia who are dealing with cancer, major injuries or other serious health conditions now have a clear legal right to step away from work for months of treatment and recovery, with a guarantee that their job will be waiting when they return.

The B.C. government’s new “serious personal illness or injury” leave under the Employment Standards Act (ESA) allows employees to take up to 27 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in a 12‑month period when they cannot work for medical reasons.

The new provisions, now in force, apply to workers covered by the ESA who are unable to work for at least seven consecutive days because of a serious illness or injury. Rather than being a one‑time block of time off, the leave can be taken in one or multiple periods within a 52‑week window, allowing workers to schedule time away from work around treatments such as chemotherapy or to manage episodic conditions like multiple sclerosis.

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