Updates for the week of June 28 to July 4, 2021
Federal Government:
Northwest Territories:
- Effective July 1, the territorial government has amended the Employment Standards Act and Regulations to provide protection to workers and flexibility to employers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and future emergencies.
- Changes include the establishment of Emergency Leave, which provides job protection to NWT workers by allowing them to access unpaid leave when they are unable to perform their duties because of an emergency, such as the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency.
- Entitlement to Emergency Leave for COVID-19 is retroactive to March 18, 2020, when the territory-wide Public Health Emergency was declared under the NWT Public Health Act. Employees who were terminated from their employment because they were unable to work as a result of COVID-19 may have grounds to file a complaint with the Employment Standards Office.
- For more information, contact the Employment Standards Office by phone at (867) 767-9351 ext 71469, or by email at employment_standards@gov.nt.ca.
- Complaints must be received by the Employment Standards Office on or before January 2, 2022.