British Columbia is making it official: employees won’t need a sick note for short-term illnesses anymore.

The province is changing the Employment Standards Act to stop employers from requiring routine sick notes from workers taking brief absences due to illness or injury. The move, part of Bill 11, was introduced by Labour Minister Jennifer Whiteside to reduce unnecessary paperwork for both employees and health-care providers.

“When you’re sick, the last thing you should have to do is go to your doctor or a clinic just to get a piece of paper,” said Whiteside. “It doesn’t help you get better faster, and it doesn’t prevent the spread of illness.”

What’s Changing?

Under the current law, employers in B.C. can request “reasonably sufficient proof” of illness. The new amendments clarify that sick notes from doctors, nurse practitioners, or registered nurses can’t be required for short-term absences.

This change is designed to:

• Free up thousands of hours of doctor time (over 180,000 hours expected)
• Reduce wait times for patients who need care
• Cut down unnecessary appointments made solely to get a sick note
• Minimize illness spread by keeping sick people at home.

The government estimates that B.C. doctors wrote 1.6 million sick notes in 2024 – many for common illnesses like colds and flus.

When Will the New Rules Take Effect?

The updated rules are expected to be in place before the 2025 respiratory illness season.

Regulations will clarify:

• What counts as a “short-term...

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