Employers grant workers time off to get COVID-19 shots as rollout ramps up in Canada

Employers are letting their workers take time off work to get immunized against COVID-19 as vaccine rollout ramps up in Canada.

Companies including Canada Goose, Bank of Montreal, Toronto-Dominion Bank and Staples Canada have said they’re offering employees at least three hours of paid leave to receive COVID-19 vaccinations.

Ontario crown company Metrolinx also says it’s providing employees, including bus operators and transit officers, three hours of paid time off to get vaccinated.

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The provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta have mandated up to three hours of paid time off for workers getting inoculated.

British Columbia, which allows workers to take time off to receive the vaccine, plans to also amend its employment act to ensure up to three hours of paid leave for each vaccine dose.

Unifor, Canada’s largest private sector union, has called on all provinces to mandate paid leave to allow workers to get vaccinated, saying most employers won’t provide it unless government forces them to.