
Saskatchewan introduces three-hour vaccination leave for employees to get shot

March 19, 2021
By
The Canadian Press

The change takes effect immediately, and means an employee is entitled to take three consecutive hours off to receive a shot without losing any pay or benefits. (Henryk Sadura/Adobe Stock)
REGINA — Saskatchewan has announced people will get paid time off from work to get their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccination.
The province says it has amended its occupational health and safety regulations to allow an employee to get a special leave from their job to get inoculated.
The change takes effect immediately, and means an employee is entitled to take three consecutive hours off to receive a shot without losing any pay or benefits.
The Saskatchewan Party government says employees can take more than three hours off if an employer determines that’s warranted.
A spokesman says at this point the vaccination leave applies to people getting their first shot, because they will have to wait up to four months to get a second.
The government is delaying second shots to speed up how many people get their first dose in hopes of achieving some level of herd immunity by mid-June because a first shot offers some protection against COVID-19.
Labour Minister Don Morgan said in a statement Thursday that he wants to see everyone in the province get a shot.
Health officials added that cutoff age for people to book vaccinations has dropped to 67, down from 70.