2024 Nova Scotia election: Employer obligations
By Killian McParland and Sophie Poulos
As recently announced, the next Nova Scotia provincial election will be held on Tuesday, November 26, 2024.
Under Nova Scotia’s Elections Act, every employee who is an eligible voter (i.e. a Canadian citizen, aged 18 and older, who has lived in Nova Scotia since April 27, 2024) is entitled to have three consecutive hours available to vote while polls are open on election day.
Voting hours on election day will be from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Employers are required to provide an employee with paid time off on election day if the employee’s work schedule does not already provide them with three consecutive hours to vote.
For example, an employee scheduled to work from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on election day will already have three consecutive hours to vote after work (5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.), and is therefore not entitled to time off.
However, an employee scheduled to work from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on election day would only have one hour available to vote (7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.), and therefore must be provided additional time off with pay to ensure the employee has at least three consecutive hours to vote.
Where required, employers have the discretion to determine when the paid time off will be granted to provide the employee with three consecutive hours during voting hours. For example, in the example above, the employer may choose to allow the employee to leave work early at 5:00 p.m., resulting in two hours’ time off with pay (5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.), while leaving three consecutive voting hours at the end of the day (5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.).
Certain workers may be exempt from the three-hour rule, depending on the industry.
It is an offence for an employer to refuse or interfere with an employee’s right to three consecutive hours for voting, or to fail to provide any such time off with pay as required.
This client update is provided for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. If you have any questions about the above, please contact the authors, or a member of our Labour & Employment Group.
Click here to subscribe to Stewart McKelvey Thought Leadership.
Archive
CASL is a new federal law aimed at eliminating unsolicited and malicious electronic communications. Originally introduced in December 2010, the majority of CASL’s provisions will come into force on July 1, 2014. Once in effect,…
Read MoreThe Termination Meeting: A time and a place for everything The decision has been made, but the ship hasn’t yet sailed. Somebody has to deliver the bad news and as difficult as this might be,…
Read MoreClient Update: Consistent Use: The Collection of Union Members’ Personal Information by their Unions
The Public Service Labour Relations Board concluded that an employer was required to provide home contact information about bargaining unit members to the union which represents them because this information is needed by the union…
Read MoreIn preparing for the 2014 proxy season, you should be aware of some regulatory changes that may impact disclosure to and interactions with your shareholders. This update highlights what is new in the 2014 proxy…
Read MoreIn a decision released by the Supreme Court of Canada (“the Court”) on January 31, 2014, the Court clarified the law with respect to the tort of interference with economic relations by unlawful means. Joyce,…
Read MoreAs we move into 2014, we know our region’s employers will want to be aware of new legislation that has passed or could soon pass that may affect them. The following is what has become…
Read MoreWhat’s new? Our employer clients will be familiar with the Labour Standards Act, which sets out the employment standards applicable in Newfoundland and Labrador. Two amendments were made to the legislation this week, both of which…
Read MoreAs many of you will now know, the Nova Scotia Government introduced legislation on Friday, December 6, 2013, amending provisions of the Nova Scotia Trade Union Act dealing with First Contract Arbitration. This client update sets out…
Read MoreIn a decision that will largely be of interest to international organizations that have been granted some type of immunity in Canada, the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) has confirmed that international organizations enjoy immunity…
Read MoreThe Prince Edward Island (“PEI”) legislature has proposed changes to the PEI Human Rights Act to add “gender expression” and “gender identity” as new protected grounds of discrimination. First introduced on November 13, 2013 the…
Read More