New requirements expected to be coming soon for Saskatchewan employers

At a glance

• On 13 May 2025, Bill No. 5 introduced by the Saskatchewan government received royal assent.
• Bill No. 5 includes a number of notable amendments to the Saskatchewan Employment Act (SEA), including addressing tips, overtime, sick leave notes and more.
• The exact coming-into-force date is unknown. However, the Saskatchewan government has indicated that the amendments are expected to come into force later this year.

Once the amendments from Bill No. 5 come into force, the SEA will be amended to, among other things, provide the following: 

• Medical note requests: Employers will be prohibited from requesting medical certificates from employees who are absent due to illness or injury unless the employee has either:
  • been absent for more than five consecutive working days; or 
  • had non-consecutive absences of two or more working days due to sickness or injury in the preceding 12 months. 
• Extending employment leaves: Employees will have access to an extension of various employment leaves such as long-term sick leave, maternity leave, bereavement leave and interpersonal violence leave.
• Rules around tips: Employers will be prohibited from withholding, deducting or reclaiming employee tips or gratuities, unless expressly permitted by law. The definition of 'gratuities' and rules with respect to tip pooling arrangements are expected to be passed by regulation. 
• Overtime: Employers will have the option to define a 'day' for the purposes of overtime as either an individual calendar day or a 24-hour period, providing employers with greater flexibility in managing shifts and aligning work schedules with their operational needs.

Further updates with respect to these regulations and the coming-into-force date of the above amendments will be provided as the information is released later this year.