Province proposes unpaid leave following ‘end of pregnancy’

The bereavement leave is intended for those directly affected by pregnancies that do not result in a live birth

CityNews Halifax Staff

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Nova Scotians who experience an end of pregnancy may soon be getting an unpaid, protected leave from work.

Amendments to the Labour Standards Code introduced Friday are aimed at ensuring those directly affected by pregnancies that do not result in a live birth can take time off to heal.

Employees would be eligible for five consecutive unpaid working days if their pregnancy ends, their spouse or partner’s pregnancy ends, their former spouse or partner’s pregnancy ends if they would have been the biological parent, they would have become a parent through a surrogacy agreement, or they would have become a parent through a legal adoption.

Nova Scotians would be eligible for an unpaid leave of up to 16 weeks if the pregnancy ends after the 19th week.

If passed, the amendments will kick in on January 1.