Workplaces in B.C. will soon be more inclusive for people who wear religious head coverings without compromising workplace safety, thanks to changes WorkSafeBC is making to B.C.’s Occupational Health and Safety Regulation on safety headgear.

On June 1, 2021, B.C.’s lowest paid workers will get a pay boost, with the general minimum wage increasing to $15.20 an hour and the lower discriminatory minimum wage for liquor servers ending.

Workers will soon have access to a made-in-B.C. paid sick leave program that will support workers to stay home when they are sick during the pandemic and afterward, including permanent paid sick leave, as a result of legislation tabled Tuesday, May 11, 2021.

Amendments to the Employment Standards Act providing workers with up to three hours of paid leave to get each dose of their COVID-19 vaccine are now in effect, retroactive to April 19, 2021.

Premier John Horgan and Harry Bains, Minister of Labour, have issued the following statement:

The B.C. government has introduced amendments to the Employment Standards Act that, if passed, will provide workers with up to three hours of paid leave to get each dose of their COVID-19 vaccine.

On June 1, 2021, B.C. liquor servers will get a pay boost as the lower liquor server minimum wage is replaced with the general minimum wage of $15.20 an hour.

As part of B.C.’s COVID-19 Immunization Plan, workers can take the time they need to receive the COVID-19 vaccine without fear of losing their jobs.