Sick notes place an unnecessary burden on doctors and patients, physicians’ organizations say

Family doctors frustrated with writing sick notes have created a template letter for patients to give to their employers, explaining that the notes place an unnecessary burden on physicians during an ongoing primary-care crisis.

They are also calling on the province to restrict when and how employers can ask for sick notes.

Many family doctors spend between 20 and 30 per cent of their day doing paperwork, Ali says, and filling out sick notes only adds to that.

Also, having to leave the house to get a note does not allow the sick person to rest, Ali said, and the task is made even more difficult for those who don’t have a family doctor and have to wait in walk-in clinics. “A person who feels under the weather — the last thing they want to do is possibly get on a bus, or into their vehicle, or ask someone for a ride to go to their doctors office,” said Ali.

As of 2023, employers in Nova Scotia are only allowed to request a sick note if the absence is more than five consecutive work days.

New legislation in Ontario, meanwhile, will force employers to scrap sick notes for the three days of provincially mandated annual sick leave. The Ontario government is moving to ban sick notes for short-term illness, in an effort to cut down on paperwork for family doctors.

In a statement sent to CBC News, B.C.'s Ministry of Labour said employers are able to request “reasonably sufficient proof” of illness, but are encouraged to be thoughtful about when they request sick notes.

It did not respond to questions about whether it is considering legislation to ban or restrict asking for sick notes.