Long-term illness leave
Long-term illness leave is an unpaid statutory leave in Ontario’s Employment Standards Act, 2000 that an employee employed for a minimum period may take when they will not be performing the duties of their position because of a serious medical condition. A qualified health practitioner’s certificate is needed for the entitlement.
A buyer of an Ontario business meets this leave when an employee has been away for an extended illness and the leave runs across the closing date. The Ontario guide says it came into effect on June 19, 2025. See what happens to an employee on leave when the business is sold.
How the leave works
Under the Ontario guide, a qualified health practitioner must issue a certificate stating that the employee has a serious medical condition and setting out the period the employee will not be working. The employee does not need the certificate to start the leave but must eventually obtain one, and without one is not entitled to the leave. The employer may ask for a copy to confirm eligibility.
What to check or ask
- Who is on the leave at closing and what certificate the seller holds.
- The written notice the employee gave the employer.
- How the seller recorded the leave, next to any bereavement leave or other leave.
This entry covers Ontario only; check the rules where you are.
Sources
This definition is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Government of OntarioGovernmentEmployment Standards Act, 2000, S.O. 2000, c. 41
- 02Government of Ontario — Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills DevelopmentGovernmentLong-term illness leave — Your guide to the Employment Standards Act
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