With British Columbians heading to the polls to vote in local government elections on November 15, 2014, it is a good time to review an employer’s obligations on election day.
Employers should be aware that the voting requirements for local government elections are different from those governing Federal and Provincial elections, which require employers to provide employees with time off from work to vote. In local government elections, there is no legislative requirement for employers to provide employees with time off to vote. That said, employers should check to see if individual employment contracts or collective agreement provisions permit employees to take time away from work to vote.
In any event, time off from work to vote is a non-issue for many employers as election day falls on a Saturday. Election polls are open from 8:00 am until 8:00 pm. For more information about the upcoming election, visit the Government of British Columbia’s Local Government Election website.
Questions relating to the content in this article may be directed to Colin Edstrom.