B.C. updated its rules around sick notes for work. Here’s what’s changing

Starting Wednesday, workers in B.C. are no longer required to provide sick notes for short-term absences.

New rules regarding when employers can ask workers for a sick note in B.C. went into effect Wednesday, with the aim of freeing up time for doctors and other health-care providers.

Employers are now not allowed to ask for a sick note from a worker for their first two health-related absences of five consecutive days or less in one calendar year.

“When you’re sick with the flu, or your child comes down with a cold, the last thing you should have to do is go to your doctor or a medical clinic to get a piece of paper saying you’re sick,” Labour Minister Jennifer Whiteside said, in a statement announcing the amendment to the Employment Standards Act.

“Unnecessary medical appointments take time away from patients who need to see their doctors and nurses, don’t help people get better any faster and risk further spread of illness.”

The changes are based on advice from health-care providers who say scientific evidence shows symptoms in adults with minor illnesses like a cold or the flu resolve within five days, the statement says.

The provincial government says health-care workers have been calling for relief from administrative burdens, including “unnecessary sick notes.”

Doctors in B.C wrote an estimated 1.6 million sick notes in 2024, according to the Canadian Medical Association.

In the statement, Doctors of B.C. Representative Dr. Lisa Gaede said writing sick notes places an “enormous burden” on family physicians and limiting when employers can ask for them will give doctors more time with patients.

Six other provinces have placed limits on when employers can ask for sick notes.

A “health-related absence” applies to when the worker or a member of their immediate family is ill. The new regulations apply to doctors as well as all other health-care workers that fall under the Health Professions Act, such as nurses and pharmacists.