Can I get time off work for a family sickness or other crisis?

If you need to take more than a few days off and you’re covered by Ontario’s (ESA) you might be able to take:

There’s information about taking a few days off in Can I take a few days off for illnesses and other personal emergencies?

Getting paid

The ESA says that your employer has to pay you for the first 5 days of domestic or sexual violence leave each year. For all of the other leaves, the ESA does not say that your employer has to pay you. See Step 3 for the rules about getting paid for domestic or sexual violence leave.

But even if the ESA does not say your employer has to pay you, you might have the right to get paid if:

you’re in a union
you have a workplace policy or employment contract that gives you this right

For example, you might have a benefits plan that pays for short- or long-term disability, if you need to take a medical leave.

You might also be able to get money from programs that help people on one of these leaves. For example, you might be able to get special benefits from Employment Insurance (EI) if you take time off to care for someone who is sick.