P.E.I. Enacts 44-Hour Workweek, Adds 27-Week Protected Medical Leave

Q: P.E.I. hails its new 44-hour work week as modern, so why does it still lag behind other Canadian provinces?

P.E.I.’s new 44-hour standard is an improvement from its old 48-hour rule, but it still trails much of Canada because many jurisdictions already treat 40 hours a week as the benchmark for overtime or standard hours. That is the core reason experts say the province remains behind. UPEI professor Jim Sentance noted the reform brings P.E.I. closer to national norms, but not all the way there: in much of Canada, the standard work week is 40 hours and the standard work day is eight hours. Federally regulated workplaces also generally use 40 hours a week. The gap matters because a higher threshold means workers in P.E.I. can still be required to work longer before overtime protections kick in. Even after the change, P.E.I. will sit with provinces such as Ontario, Alberta and New Brunswick at 44 hours, while provinces including British Columbia, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador, and several northern territories use 40-hour weekly thresholds. P.E.I. also lags some provinces on how overtime is triggered. Several jurisdictions, including B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, have daily overtime rules, often after eight hours in a day. That means workers can qualify for overtime sooner even if they do not exceed the weekly limit. P.E.I.’s reform is framed as modernization because it updates a law largely untouched since 2006, but on hours of work it is still catching up rather than setting the pace.

3 articles · Updated · CBC Sports · Jun 24

June 30 will bring P.E.I.’s new Employment Standards Act into force, replacing legislation that had not undergone a major review since 2006.
A 27-week job-protected medical leave and a shorter 44-hour maximum workweek are the biggest changes, with overtime eligibility effectively starting earlier than under the old 48-hour cap.
Sick-note rules will also loosen: employers can ask only after five consecutive missed days instead of three, and pharmacists, physiotherapists and chiropractors will be allowed to issue notes.
More than 110 recommendations from an independent review panel drove the rewrite, which officials say was easier than amending the old law piece by piece.
New enforcement tools include administrative penalties for non-compliant employers, but the province says it will emphasize education, guidance and summer presentations before using them sparingly.