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Please Help - Annual / Sick Leave in Canada

Please Help - Annual / Sick Leave in Canada

Old Sep 13th 2015, 6:38 pm
  #31  
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Default Re: Please Help - Annual / Sick Leave in Canada

Originally Posted by Notsosure
Hello All!

I am currently in Sydney Australia, moved here from London 3 years ago, and now have an opportunity to move to Canada with work next year. However, my research on Canadian employment standards has left me a bit baffled/shocked, specifically:

1) Annual Leave entitlements

UK - 25 days, 100% Pay
Australia - 20 days, 100% Pay
Canada - How many days? And do you get paid as usual while on holiday - i.e. 100%?
I read on some Canadian government website that you only get 10 days? That is almost unthinkable for a first world economy, practically barbaric by UK/European standard...
If you think that is low you should check the US!

But in general, holiday time will vary by employer.



2) Personal/Sick Leave entitlements

UK - I don't recall this being specifically mentioned in my employment contracts back in London, but I used to take roughly 10 days off annually on health grounds (mostly during flu seasons in the winter) and was never questioned, and get paid as usual.
Australia - 10 days statutory sick/personal leave annually, fully paid also. My employer here in Australia even indirectly encourages us to use these to extend our annual holidays.
Canada - How many days? And do you get paid as usual?
I struggled to find any information regarding sick/personal leave entitlements on Canadian government websites... does it actually exist? If not, then Canada has fallen behind even some third world countries How do you guys manage when you are terribly sick?
Sick days will vary by employer. Parental leave is another issue entirely.


3) Bank Holidays

UK - 3 days a year, fully paid extra holiday, applies to almost everyone.
Australia - 2 days a year, fully paid extra holiday, applies to people working in the banking sector.
Canada - How many days? And do you get paid as usual?
Once again, there does not appear to be any information about this on the internet... does Canada have bank holidays? If not, then it is not really a Commonwealth country then... even India has bank holidays as far as I know...
You think bank holidays are what makes something a Commonwealth country?

We do not have bank holidays, we have stat holidays and they vary by province.


For your information, my employer is an European bank with offices in both Australia and Canada, the opportunity arising is based in Toronto, Ontario.

If you want to know about vacation time then ask your employer. Same for sick days. They determine both. As for stat holidays, since you are going to be in Ontario check the Ontario government's website.

Last edited by colchar; Sep 13th 2015 at 6:43 pm.
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Old Sep 13th 2015, 6:42 pm
  #32  
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Default Re: Please Help - Annual / Sick Leave in Canada

Originally Posted by plasticcanuck
If the OP is moving to a senior position he should be able to negotiate his vacation time and disability programmes (STD and LTD).

There are disability programs for STDs???

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Old Sep 14th 2015, 1:53 am
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Default Re: Please Help - Annual / Sick Leave in Canada

Originally Posted by colchar
There are disability programs for STDs???

Short Term Disability = STD.
Long Term Disability = LTD.

And I imagine a documented Sexually Transmitted Disease would be covered in both circumstances.
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Old Sep 14th 2015, 5:33 am
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Default Re: Please Help - Annual / Sick Leave in Canada

Originally Posted by sharkus
trying to remember what I got / get.
Fairly sure I started with 2 weeks (not bad for a startup), and I think I have 4 weeks as I've been there for five years.

Sick days are paid. Not sure how many I actually have, don't use them that often.

I get all stat holidays, and they are fully paid. We have for the past two years had an extra day for the summer stat holidays, for example, if a stat day was on a monday, we'd also be given the Friday, and this was fully paid.

The company is very flexible when it comes to taking time for appointments. typically I'll work from home on such days, unless it's something I can do very early in the day, or after work hours.
2 weeks is reprehensible, full stop. Not going if being offered that, need that alone for winter holiday to the Caribbeans to get over the winter blue for the sake of my mental health, plus at least another 2 weeks for summer holiday trip back to Europe.

Don't even mention the USA, just an over glamourised dirt hole filled with exploitation, would never consider working there unless I am some kind of big deal executive getting paid millions, the working class in the US are real modern day slaves with little to no work protection.
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Old Sep 14th 2015, 5:52 am
  #35  
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Default Re: Please Help - Annual / Sick Leave in Canada

Originally Posted by Notsosure
2 weeks is reprehensible, full stop. Not going if being offered that, need that alone for winter holiday to the Caribbeans to get over the winter blue for the sake of my mental health, plus at least another 2 weeks for summer holiday trip back to Europe.

Don't even mention the USA, just an over glamourised dirt hole filled with exploitation, would never consider working there unless I am some kind of big deal executive getting paid millions, the working class in the US are real modern day slaves with little to no work protection.
The US isn't as bad as it's made out to be. Companies have to compete heavily for non-entry level and they do that with benefits which include time off.

Its really just the low paid unskilled who get screwed as they are replaceable and don't have room to negotiate, but if one can qualify to go to the US and work, chances are you will be able to negotiate a decent benefits package.

If your a lowly bottom of the ladder worker, you can likely get decent benefits if what you can offer the company is worth it to the company.
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Old Sep 14th 2015, 5:57 am
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Default Re: Please Help - Annual / Sick Leave in Canada

Originally Posted by dgagitw
If it's banking in Toronto then you're not going to notice any real difference to your Australian T&Cs. A major Canadian bank (one of the big 5, which I just happen to work for) has the following things relevant to your various questions:

- insurance for prescriptions for you and dependents (plus dental, glasses etc etc)
- 3 weeks holiday to start with at the junior end with more senior roles getting 4 or even 5 weeks. It depends entirely what level you're coming in at as to which of these you'll be offered.
- 3 'personal days'. They're like sick days but you don't have to actually be sick. Used for things like a childcare emergency or whatever.
- fully paid sick leave up to a week at a time
- short term insurance paid sick leave for a couple of weeks
- long term paid sick after that
- full pay for all statutory holidays (it's a bit complex as banks have some extra federal ones but it's around 10 a year in total).

The only piece of negotiation advice around this lot is make sure that they enrole you in the benefit scheme from day 1 of your employment, they will possibly say you have to wait for 3 months. They're all negotiable on this point though so don't take no for an answer.


I think this is the most relevant post for the OP!
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Old Sep 14th 2015, 2:53 pm
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Default Re: Please Help - Annual / Sick Leave in Canada

Originally Posted by Notsosure
2 weeks is reprehensible, full stop. Not going if being offered that, need that alone for winter holiday to the Caribbeans to get over the winter blue for the sake of my mental health, plus at least another 2 weeks for summer holiday trip back to Europe.
I think that probably sums up that Canada isn't for you then. Funny how I've been here for 12 years and haven't gone nuts, then again, I only came from rainy old England, so perhaps I simply cannot comprehend how mentally exhausting coping with winter would be if coming from somewhere warmer.

One would like to think that you're just being a keyboard warrior, and wouldn't spout the above to a potential employer, as it likely would not do you any favours.
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Old Sep 14th 2015, 5:02 pm
  #38  
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Default Re: Please Help - Annual / Sick Leave in Canada

I've worked in Canada for over 30 years without having paid holidays or sick time. Along the way I've "employed" up to 100 people concurrently without paying them for vacations or sick days. I've been here long enough now that I'd feel guilty to be paid for time not worked.

I understand that it's different for bankers and government employees but be aware that extreme arrangements do exist and, in my view, the zero hours contract is the fashion of the future here.
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Old Sep 14th 2015, 5:21 pm
  #39  
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Default Re: Please Help - Annual / Sick Leave in Canada

i work in the trucking industry which is federally regulated so i only get federal bank holidays, I do get two weeks paid vacation and 7 days paid sick leave per year after one years service. I know that's not much in comparison to the UK now but it was like that in the UK when i started work out of school lol
Most places it is possible to negotiate more vacation time but as i had just quit truck driving to be a recruiter i didn't have the experience here that would give me that leverage at the time. I have full benefits, STD & LTD dental, vision, medication etc from the day i started, covered for everything outside of Canada so i don't have to get travel insurance and the company pays for all that. I also have an expenses account and credit card so pretty popular when any of my drivers spot me at a truck stop but i don't mind as that means i get a free meal too lol
The benefits package is something to pay close attention too, as a driver i didn't with one company and after a heart attack and a stent fitted i was informed they didn't have short term disability (STD), SSP here is pitiful so make sure you have STD or buy some private insurance.
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Old Sep 14th 2015, 6:29 pm
  #40  
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Default Re: Please Help - Annual / Sick Leave in Canada

I can also weigh in on banking in Toronto, as my husband works for one of the downtown banks. He gets:

--20 days paid holiday
--2 personal days
--All Ontario statutory holidays including Remembrance Day (New Years, Family Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Civic Holiday, Labour Day, Thanksgiving, Remembrance Day, Christmas Day, Boxing Day = 11 days)

So in total that gives him 20+2+11 = 33 days off.

In the UK working for a bank he had 25+8 = 33 days off.

The two personal days are more "last minute" unforeseen days that he can take (like a kid being sick or whatever) so they aren't really holiday per se... So if you exclude them then he's only two days "worse" off in Canada than in the UK, though he VASTLY prefers the distribution of stat holidays here as opposed to bank holidays in the UK as they are spread out through the year, whereas the UK ones are heavily loaded in the first few months.

For sick days, his bank is just a general "as required but don't take the piss" attitude. So if he needs a half-day for a morning appointment or whatever, he can just take it (clearing wtih boss first obv) and then make up the hours/work as required. He can also just work from home on those days, he has remote log-in. So he has no set number of sick days he can take, as long as he's not taking advantage he can take what he needs.

Worth noting that he also got 6 weeks paternity leave, paid to 95%.

It's our understanding that most of the banks are much for muchness when it comes to this stuff.

Hope that helps.
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Old Sep 14th 2015, 6:33 pm
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Default Re: Please Help - Annual / Sick Leave in Canada

If vacation and paid sick leave is important to someone making a moving decision, Canada is not the place to be.
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Old Sep 14th 2015, 6:53 pm
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Default Re: Please Help - Annual / Sick Leave in Canada

Originally Posted by Aviator
If vacation and paid sick leave is important to someone making a moving decision, Canada is not the place to be.
Those fools considering things that might impact their quality of life before emigrating to improve their quality of life. What are they thinking!
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Old Sep 14th 2015, 7:56 pm
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Default Re: Please Help - Annual / Sick Leave in Canada

Originally Posted by Alan2005
Those fools considering things that might impact their quality of life before emigrating to improve their quality of life. What are they thinking!
Yes, but OP wrote: "but I used to take roughly 10 days off annually on health grounds ... no questions asked"

This won't work in Canada.
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Old Sep 14th 2015, 8:06 pm
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Default Re: Please Help - Annual / Sick Leave in Canada

I work in Transport. Most companies here wont offer paid days off but will give you 4% of your pay into a pot to take as vacation pay when you want. You can take as much or as little of that money as you want when you want. 4% equals 2 weeks. Most will offer 6% (3 weeks) after 5 years service and then 8% (4 weeks) after 10 years.

Sick pay? you are joking!!!

oh and my average working week is 80-90 hours and the only day we do not deliver is Christmas day
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Old Sep 14th 2015, 8:28 pm
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Default Re: Please Help - Annual / Sick Leave in Canada

Originally Posted by Alex2201
I work in Transport. Most companies here wont offer paid days off but will give you 4% of your pay into a pot to take as vacation pay when you want. You can take as much or as little of that money as you want when you want. 4% equals 2 weeks. Most will offer 6% (3 weeks) after 5 years service and then 8% (4 weeks) after 10 years.

Sick pay? you are joking!!!

oh and my average working week is 80-90 hours and the only day we do not deliver is Christmas day
If you don't get short term disability as part of you benefits package you should take out some private insurance, don't get caught out like i did it destroyed me financially.
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