August 12, 2026

As of November 12, 2025, British Columbia’s Bill 11 introduced new legal rights for employees related to sick notes for short‑term health‑related leave. In most cases, employees can take up to two short absences per year without providing medical documentation. 

What Changed

Bill 11 amended B.C.’s Employment Standards Act to prevent employers from requiring sick notes for employees taking short-term health-related leave.  Now employees are entitled to take two health-related leaves of five days or fewer in the same calendar year without providing supporting medical documentation. The new law covers absences related to the health, illness, or injury of employees or their immediate family. 

When Your Employer Can Ask for Proof

B.C. employers may ask for medical documentation: 

a) for a third or subsequent short-term absence in the same calendar year, or 

b) when the leave exceeds five consecutive days. 

However, employers are only permitted to request “reasonably sufficient proof” of illness or injury. “Reasonably sufficient proof” is more expansive than a doctor’s note and can include other forms of evidence such as a receipt for medication. 

Important Exceptions 

The restrictions on requesting supporting medical evidence do not apply where documentation is genuinely required to: 

• Assess whether an employee is fit to return to work, or 

• Determine if medical accommodation is required under human rights law. 

These exceptions reflect employers’ obligations to maintain a safe workplace and meet its duty to accommodate. 

Why it Matters

These changes are welcome news for employees who were previously forced to attend their doctor’s office for the sole reason of obtaining medical notes, which were usually provided by the doctor for a fee which wasn’t reimbursed under extended health insurance policies.  This should be welcome news to the medical community as well, freeing up resources so more patients can be assessed by their physicians. 

If a dispute over sick leave or medical accommodation is putting your job at risk, talk to us. Get in touch with the team at GoodWin Law.