Letter of Compassionate Care Leave

This letter serves the purpose of giving an employer notice that the employee is taking a Compassionate Care Leave. This means taking a leave of absence to provide care or support to a seriously ill family member. To be entitled to take this leave, a health practitioner's certificate is needed (doctor, nurse, etc.) to prove that the family member is very ill and needs the assistance of the employee asking for this leave. Each Province has its own terms to refer to Compassionate Care Leave, such as Family Medical Leave.

Compassionate Care Leave is a leave permitted under the law. This means that an employee has the right to take this leave without losing job security. The number of weeks an employee is entitled to take depends on the Province; but it's usually 27 to 28 weeks. The definition of family member applies to the following individuals:

(1) Parents or step-parents, spouse, children, siblings or step-siblings of the employee;

(2) Spouse's parents or children;

(3) Children-in-law, grandchildren, grandparents, step-grandparent, grandchild or step-grandchild of the employee or the employee's spouse;

(4) Uncle, aunt, niece, or nephew of the employee or the employee's spouse;

(5) Dependents of the employee.

This means that an employee may notify the employer that they are taking a leave for one or more of the above family members.

HOW TO USE THIS DOCUMENT

Notice of this leave should be delivered to the employer (or Human Resources) in advance before the employee takes their leave of absence. The certificate from a doctor will need to be paid for and obtained by the employee taking this leave. The certificate should be sent with the letter; if not, the certificate should be sent as soon as possible.

The letter can be sent by mail or email in PDF format. Once the notice has been sent to the employer, the employee should keep a copy of the letter and the medical certificate for their records.

APPLICABLE LAW

Employment law legislation is governed by each Province and Territory. For federal employees, the Canada Labour Code (R.S.C., 1985, c. L-2) applies. These laws establish the minimum requirements for a personal leave of absence that employers must afford to their employees.

HOW TO MODIFY THE TEMPLATE

You fill out a form. The document is created before your eyes as you respond to the questions.

At the end, you receive it in Word and PDF formats. You can modify it and reuse it.