Family medical leave

Family medical leave is an unpaid job-protected leave of up to 28 weeks in a 52 week period.

Family medical leave may be taken to provide care or support to certain family members and people who consider the employee to be like a family member in respect of whom a qualified health practitioner has issued a certificate indicating that he or she has a serious medical condition with a significant risk of death occurring within a period of 26 weeks. The medical condition and risk of death must be confirmed in a certificate issued by a qualified health practitioner.

The 28 weeks of a family medical leave do not have to be taken consecutively.

All employees in Ontario who take this leave under the Employment Standards Act (2000) to provide care or support to a specific family member, must share the eight weeks of leave with their spouse.

The University may ask the employee to provide a medical notification; forward it to Human Resources as soon as possible.

For more information, please visit the Family Medical Leave web page of the Ontario Ministry of Labour.