July 2026: Manitoba Sick Notes, Fall Wage Changes & Your Penalty Shootout
Summer is officially here — and so is a wave of employment-law changes that Canadian employers need to lock in before October 1. The biggest news this month: Manitoba's Bill 11 (S.M. 2026, c. 10) fundamentally changes how you handle short-term absences. Starting October 1, 2026, you can no longer require a medical certificate unless the employee has been absent for more than one week, or more than 10 scheduled workdays in the same calendar year. If your current attendance policy asks employees to produce a doctor's note for a brief sick day, that policy needs to change — and you have three months to do it. Nova Scotia is also staging a minimum-wage increase on October 1 ($17.00/hr), joining Ontario ($17.95/hr) and Manitoba ($16.40/hr) in a trio of fall adjustments that will affect payroll runs across the country. We're also flagging a reminder on federal Pay Equity plans — your plan deadline depends on when your organization became subject to the Act and any authorized extension, not a single deadline for all mid-size employers — plus a full summer statutory-holiday guide to help you calculate holiday pay correctly for Canada Day, BC Day, and Labour Day. As a bonus this issue: our new Penalty Shootout mini-game is live. Pick a team, challenge a colleague, and track who scores the most. A fun three-minute break between compliance reviews. Stay compliant, and enjoy the summer. ☀️
Legal updates
Manitoba sick note restrictions in force Oct 1 — Bill 11
MB
Effective October 1, 2026
Manitoba's Bill 11 (S.M. 2026, c. 10) prohibits employers from requiring a medical certificate for an injury or illness absence unless the absence continues for more than one week, or the employee has been absent due to injury or illness on more than 10 scheduled workdays in the same calendar year. If an employer is permitted to require a sick note, the employer must reimburse the employee for any reasonable amount charged by the health professional for providing it; if reimbursement is not made within the required time, the unpaid amount may be treated as wages owing. Employers should not discipline an employee solely for refusing to provide a medical certificate where Bill 11 does not permit the employer to require one. Review and update your attendance, leave, and discipline policies before October 1, 2026.
Nova Scotia minimum wage rises to $17.00/hr on October 1
NS
Effective October 1, 2026
Nova Scotia's general minimum wage increases from $16.75 to $17.00 per hour on October 1, 2026. Separate orders continue to govern the construction and property maintenance, and logging and forest operations sectors. Update payroll systems, offer letters, and posted wage notices before the effective date.
Federal Pay Equity Act: confirm your organization’s own deadline
FED
Effective Employer-specific — confirm your coverage date and any authorized extension
Federally regulated employers covered by the Pay Equity Act must use the deadline that applies to their organization. For employers subject to the Act when it came into force on August 31, 2021, the original final-plan posting deadline was September 3, 2024. Employers that became subject later generally have three years from their coverage date. Check any authorized extension and special circumstances with the Pay Equity Commissioner. Compensation adjustments, annual statements and plan updates have separate requirements; do not treat a pay-increase phase-in period as extra time to prepare the initial plan.
Canada Day statutory holiday: pay rules recap for all jurisdictions
All jurisdictions
Effective July 1, 2026
July 1, 2026 (Canada Day) is a paid general holiday in every Canadian province and territory. Confirm which employees worked on the holiday, calculate the correct general holiday pay for each jurisdiction, and process premium pay where required. Federal and provincial rules on who qualifies for holiday pay differ — verify the applicable standard for each employee's location.
What's changed in your manual
Compliance Gap Checker — now live
Free tool. Answer six questions about your workplace and instantly see which provincial employment-standards obligations you may be missing — no account needed. Available for AB, BC, MB, NS, ON, and SK.
Vacation & Attendance Tracker updates
The free Vacation & Attendance Tracker now loads faster on mobile and includes an improved jurisdiction selector. All employee data continues to stay in your browser only — nothing is ever sent to a server.
Penalty Shootout mini-game added to this issue
For team-building fun: pick a team name, take five penalty kicks against an AI goalkeeper, and track wins across your colleagues. Built right into the newsletter — no download needed.
Manitoba sick note clauses pre-staged
Our policy pipeline has pre-staged updated absence-management clause templates for Manitoba subscribers ahead of the October 1 Bill 11 effective date. Admin review is in progress.
Compliance calendar
Canada Day — paid general holiday (all jurisdictions)
2026-07-01
All jurisdictions
July 1 is a paid general holiday nationwide. Confirm holiday-pay calculations, identify employees working on the day, and process premium pay accordingly. Rules on entitlement and calculation vary by province.
August civic holiday — entitlements vary significantly by province
2026-08-03
BC/NB/AB/ON/MB
August 3 is BC Day (statutory in BC), New Brunswick Day (paid public holiday in NB), and a non-statutory civic holiday in several other provinces. Alberta's Heritage Day and Ontario's Civic Holiday are NOT one of each province's nine statutory general holidays. Manitoba's Terry Fox Day is not a general holiday. Verify each province's rules before processing holiday pay.
TrainGuard free employer plan expires — Aug 31, 2026
2026-08-31
ON/BC/AB
The TrainGuard free Employer Plan (121 compliance modules for ON, BC, and AB) expires August 31, 2026. Enroll your team before then to access the free tier.
Labour Day — paid general holiday (all jurisdictions)
2026-09-07
All jurisdictions
Labour Day (first Monday in September) is a statutory holiday across all provinces, territories, and federal jurisdiction. Confirm holiday-pay entitlements and premium-pay obligations for employees who work on the day.
Canada Policy Manual summer offer expires — last day
2026-09-30
FED
The summer pricing offer on Canada Policy Manual subscriptions expires September 30, 2026. Visit /freebies to download free provincial policy templates and HR compliance checklists before the offer ends.
Manitoba sick note rule in force — Bill 11 restricts medical certificate demands
2026-10-01
MB
Under Bill 11 (S.M. 2026, c. 10), employers cannot require a medical certificate unless the absence exceeds one week or the employee has had more than 10 scheduled injury/illness absence days in the calendar year. Update attendance and discipline policies before this date.
Ontario minimum wage → $17.95/hr
2026-10-01
ON
Ontario's general minimum wage rises from $17.60 to $17.95 per hour. Update payroll, pay stubs, and any documents referencing the current rate — book this in your August/September payroll calendar now.
Nova Scotia minimum wage → $17.00/hr
2026-10-01
NS
NS minimum wage rises from $16.75 to $17.00 per hour. Update payroll, postings, and offer letters. Separate orders govern construction and property maintenance, and logging and forest operations sectors.
Manitoba minimum wage → $16.40/hr
2026-10-01
MB
Manitoba minimum wage rises from $16.00 to $16.40 per hour. Review all MB employment contracts and job postings, and update payroll systems before the effective date.
Featured read
Manitoba Sick Note Rules 2026: Employer Guide Before October 1Manitoba's Bill 11 lands October 1. Here is exactly what you can and cannot ask employees for when they call in sick — and the three policy updates you need to make before the deadline.
Review your attendance policy before October 1 — MB employers especially
If your attendance policy includes a blanket doctor's note requirement for any absence, that clause becomes unenforceable in Manitoba on October 1, 2026 for most short absences. Under Bill 11, you may only require a medical certificate where the absence continues for more than one week, or where the employee has been absent due to injury or illness on more than 10 scheduled workdays in the same calendar year. Update the Manitoba-specific section of your attendance policy to reflect these thresholds, and confirm the applicable rules for each other province you operate in. Do this now rather than in late September when your payroll and HR teams are already managing the wage-rate changes.
Manitoba joins provinces restricting when employers can demand sick notes
Several provinces now limit when employers can demand medical documentation. Under Manitoba's Bill 11 (S.M. 2026, c. 10, effective October 1, 2026), employers cannot require a medical certificate for an injury or illness absence unless the absence continues for more than one week, or the employee has been absent due to injury or illness on more than 10 scheduled workdays in the same calendar year. Employers should not discipline an employee solely for refusing to provide a medical certificate where Bill 11 does not permit the employer to require one. Employers who violate the rule can face complaints, investigations, and orders under the Employment Standards Code. Note: Ontario and British Columbia have also enacted restrictions on employer sick-note demands under their own frameworks.
Three months to October 1 — plenty of time to get Manitoba's sick note clauses updated, stage the wage-rate changes in payroll, and verify your federal pay equity plan. Enjoy the summer, and we'll see you in August with the next issue.