BC – COVID-19 Updates
For the latest updates from the government of BC on the COVID-19 outbreak and provincial provisions, visit the COVID-19 page on the BC government website.
Critical Information
Changes to the Employment Standards Act
BC Action Plan
BC Sector Pages
Transportation
Healthcare
Ongoing Updates
APRIL 28, 2020
Mental Health Aid
The province has allocated $5 million to expand existing
mental health programs and services and launch new services to support
residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Enhanced
virtual services
will help all British Columbians with mental health needs
arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on adults, youth and
front-line health care workers. The funding will also increase access for
Indigenous communities and those living in rural and remote parts of the
province.
April 17, 2020
CLAC Calls for Proper PPE for All Front-line Workers
Your personal safety is paramount as you work with our most vulnerable citizens
On April 15, 2020, we sent a letter to Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, regarding the concerns for our members’ safety due to the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE). Although the shortage of PPE supplies is nationwide, we hear your concerns and understand how important it is right now to ensure your personal safety as you care for some of our society’s most vulnerable people.
READ THE FULL UPDATE
April 8, 2020
Liability Protection for Essential Service Workers
BC is taking steps to protect those providing essential services by ensuring they cannot be held liable for damages caused by exposure to COVID-19 while continuing to operate, so long as they are complying with orders from the provincial health officer and other authorities. Read more about this here.
Source: B.C. taking further action to support essential service providers during pandemic
April 3, 2020
Child Care for Essential Workers
BC is launching a new process that will match parents, who are working on the front lines of BC’s COVID-19 response and have children up to five years of age, with child care in their communities.
READ THE FULL UPDATE HERE
April 1, 2020
Guidance for Industrial Camps
The province announced it is providing guidelines for industrial work camps to support their response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to keep workers safe.
READ THE FULL UPDATE HERE
MARCH 31, 2020
WorkSafeBC is working with workers, employers, and industry associations to ensure retail operations remain healthy and safe during the COVID-19 outbreak. Employers must take all necessary precautions to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission and illness to themselves, workers, and others at the workplace. Workers have the right to refuse work if they believe it presents an undue hazard.
Learn more about rights and responsibilities in the retail sector from WorkSafe BC.
The BC government has also issued guidelines for retail food and grocery store operations. View them here.
MARCH 31, 2020
BC Climate Action Tax Credit (BCCATC)
The BCCATC helps offset the impact of the carbon taxes paid by individuals or families. It is non-taxable, so you don't have to include it as income when you file your income tax return. You are eligible to receive the credit if you're a resident of BC and you
- are 19 years of age or older, or
- have a spouse or common-law partner, or
- are a parent who resides with your child.
Learn more.
MARCH 31, 2020
WorkSafe BC has stated that construction employers must take all necessary precautions to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission and illness to themselves, workers, and others at the workplace. Read the full WorkSafe BC guidelines.
The BC government has also issued guidelines for construction employers, which can be viewed here.
MARCH 27, 2020
BC Transit is continuing to provide transportation services because people still need to get to work, including at healthcare facilities, or to other activities such as weekly grocery shopping trips. They are limiting capacity, waiving fares, and implementing other safety measures.
Learn more.
MARCH 26, 2020
List of COVID-19 Essential Services
Essential services are those daily services essential to preserving life, health, public safety, and basic societal functioning. They are the services British Columbians come to rely on in their daily lives. Services such as childcare are prioritized for workers in front-line essential services.
Learn more.
MARCH 26, 2020
WorkSafeBC is working with workers, employers, and industry associations to ensure manufacturing workplaces remain healthy and safe during the COVID-19 outbreak. The BC government has also issued guidelines for manufacturers during COVID-19.
View the guidelines from WorkSafe BC.
View the guidelines from the BC government.
MARCH 25, 2020
Worker Health and Safety Responsibilities
Workers should know and understand their workplace health and safety responsibilities — and those of others. If you’re a worker, you also have three key rights: the right to know about hazards in the workplace; the right to participate in health and safety activities in the workplace; and the right to refuse unsafe work.
Learn what this means during COVID-19.
MARCH 25, 2020
Employer Health and Safety Responsibilities
Employers are required to take certain steps to keep their workers safe. If they are not following their responsibilities, please contact your CLAC representative.
View WorkSafe BC’s employer responsibilities.
MARCH 24, 2020
Announced on March 24, the government of British Columbia has made significant changes to the Employment Standards Act to better support workers both during the COVID-19 public health emergency and in the long term.
Job Protected Leave
Workers may take unpaid, job-protected leave if they are unable to work for reasons relating to COVID-19. The leave will be retroactive to Jan. 27, 2020. During this public health emergency, people can take this job-protected leave for as long as the circumstance that requires them to be away from work applies. This protection is for employees who are unable to work for the following reasons:
- they have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and are acting in accordance with instructions or an order of a medical health officer or the advice of a medical practitioner, nurse practitioner, or registered nurse;
- they are in quarantine or self-isolation in accordance with an order of the provincial health officer, an order made under the federal Quarantine Act, or guidelines of the BC Centre for Disease Control or the Public Health Agency of Canada;
- they have been directed by their employer to stay home because of concerns about their exposure to others;
- they are unable to return to BC because of a travel or border restriction; or
- they are providing care to their minor child or a dependent adult who is their child or former foster child, including when a school, daycare or similar facility has closed.
Workers may need to give reasonable evidence of eligibility if their employer requests it, but a doctor’s note will not be required.
MARCH 23, 2020
On March 23, the Government of British Columbia announced an Action Plan that dedicates $2.8 billion to help people and fund the services they need to weather the crisis; $2.2 billion will provide relief to businesses and help them recover after the outbreak. Elements of the plan affecting employees include: