The British Columbia government has extended the temporary layoff period to 16 weeks amid the COVID-19 crisis. 

Usually, an employer is required by law to give workers a notice of termination and/or pay severance if they are laid off for 13 of 20 weeks. 

Photo credit: Canadian Press

The reason behind the extension is to protect jobs, the government said. 

It also aligns with the Canada Emergency Response Benefit time period, allowing laid off workers to benefit from federal support. 

But the government added: “The COVID-19 emergency temporary layoff provisions are not intended to be permanent and will be repealed when no longer needed.”