No time for sick notes in today’s health-care system

It’s hard to believe we’re still having this conversation in 2025. Yet here we are: some employees across Manitoba are still being told by their bosses to get a note from a doctor when they call in sick.

Despite widespread agreement among health professionals, labour advocates and even some employers that this practice is outdated and wasteful, the Manitoba government has yet to pass legislation to end it.

Let’s start with the obvious. Manitoba has one of the worst doctor shortages in the country. You hear it from virtually every corner of the health system: there aren’t enough family doctors, walk-in clinics are jammed and many people in rural and northern areas have to wait days — or weeks — just to get a basic appointment.

And yet, in the middle of this health-care access crisis, we’re still diverting doctors’ time to write useless notes that serve no medical purpose and cost taxpayers an estimated $8 million a year. It’s a colossal waste of time and public health-care resources.

According to Doctors Manitoba, eliminating sick notes would allow for an extra 300,000 patient visits per year, or the equivalent of adding 50 more physicians to the health-care system. That is significant.

As a result, the advocacy organization that represents doctors in the province asked the government this week to bring in legislation that would ban sick notes for absences of 10 days or less.

Requiring a sick note doesn’t verify illness in any meaningful way. It’s not good health policy, and it’s not good workplace policy. In fact, it can make things worse.

The note itself doesn’t prove anything. A doctor can’t tell if someone had a migraine, the flu or food poisoning the day before. They just take the patient’s word for it and write the note. It’s a rubber stamp. If someone wants to abuse a sick day, they’re going to do it with or without a doctor’s note.

Requiring a note could even discourage some people from staying home while sick if it’s too difficult or time-consuming to find a doctor who’ll write one.

It should come as no surprise then, that the Canadian Medical Association has called for an end to sick-note requirements. The organization argues the notes serve no clinical purpose and simply burden the health-care system.

It’s one of those rare issues where just about everyone agrees — except, apparently, the Manitoba government, which still hasn’t introduced legislation to stop the practice outright.

Some Manitoba employers loosened their rules around sick notes, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. But without legislation, there’s no standard. It’s a patchwork.

Most jurisdictions across Canada have already taken action. British Columbia, for example, banned mandatory sick notes for short absences. Ontario has similar provisions and Quebec discourages their use.

“Manitoba is one of only two provinces in Canada that hasn’t taken any legislative action in this space to limit the use of sick notes, so we hope to change that,” said Dr. Nichelle Desilets, president of Doctors Manitoba.

If the Manitoba government is serious about wanting to expand primary care and reduce unnecessary strain on the system, this is low-hanging fruit. We don’t need a government task force or a blue-ribbon panel to study it.

This shouldn’t be a difficult decision for the NDP government. While in opposition, they introduced a private member’s bill that would have banned employers from requiring sick notes unless the worker was absent for more than seven days. Like most private member’s bills, it was defeated. It’s time to resurrect it.

This isn’t just about health care. It’s about treating workers with dignity. It’s also about preventing workplace outbreaks. Encouraging people to “tough it out” or drag themselves to a clinic for a note increases the risk that they’ll infect others, especially in places such as schools, stores or in health care itself.

Some opponents may argue that banning sick notes will open the door to abuse — that people will call in sick more often. However, there’s no evidence that happens in provinces where notes are no longer required.

At a time when Manitoba is desperately trying to recruit and retain physicians — and promising to expand access to primary care — making doctors spend hours a week writing sick notes is indefensible.

Every appointment used for a sick note is one less slot for a child with asthma, a senior with diabetes or a parent trying to get a referral to a specialist.

This change is long overdue. If Manitoba wants to modernize health care and support working people at the same time, it should act now.

Ban sick notes. Free up doctors’ time. It’s a no-brainer.

» Tom Brodbeck is a Winnipeg Free Press columnist.