Ontario to Scrap Sick Note Requirements for Employees

A man blowing his nose in his living room in a photo file. Shutterstock/Irina Bg

The days of needing a sick note for your boss in Ontario are coming to an end.

Employers, in the coming weeks, will not be allowed to request a sick note for “job-protected sick leave” as part of an effort to reduce paperwork for family doctors, the province has announced.

“Our government is making common sense changes that will reduce the administrative burden on family doctors so that they can spend more time caring for patients instead of doing duplicative or unnecessary paperwork,” Minister of Health Sylvia Jones said in an April 24 press release.

While notes are no longer permitted, employers can request other proof of illness, such as self-attestations, the government said.

Employees are entitled to three days of sick leave per year once they have worked for an employer for at least two consecutive weeks, Ontario labour law states.

“This will complement the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board’s efforts to collaborate with health sector organizations as they explore additional measures to reduce the administrative burden for sick or injured workers and healthcare professionals,” Minister of Labour David Piccini said in the announcement.

The changes were welcomed by the president of the Ontario College of Family Physicians.

“Eliminating unnecessary sick notes is an important change for which the Ontario College of Family Physicians has advocated,” Dr. Mekalai Kumanan said in the release.

“While we know that much more needs to be done to address the administrative issues that take up to 19 hours a week, this is an important step to ensure that more Ontarians can see their family doctor.”

Other changes announced include replacing fax machines, expanding eServices so more forms can be shared electronically, adding more digital tools on the eForms platform, and speeding up the expansion of the centralized waitlist program for surgical and diagnostic services.