On March 5, 2026, the Honourable Malaya Marcelino, Minister of Labour and Immigration, introduced legislation to eliminate sick notes in the Manitoba. The bill will move Manitoba from worst to first when it comes to clear, consistent limits on sick notes.

Once these changes to The Employment Standards Code come into effect, Manitoba employers may only require a sick note from an employee who is absent from work due to injury or illness if the absence continues for more than a week or the employee has been absent on more than 10 scheduled workdays in the same calendar year.

Doctors Manitoba has been working hard to educate and support employers to shift away from sick notes in anticipation of this legislation, including creating a free toolkit with HR professionals. 

Learn more and find the free toolkit at Doc​torsNotes​.ca.