While laws change every year, 2026 was an unusually busy year with significant new employment laws taking effect in almost every part of Canada. The fallout from this activity is that following the HR and payroll policies you relied on in 2025 may not keep you compliant in 2026. The first thing you need to do is review and identify which of your company’s policies need to be changed to incorporate the new regulatory requirements. To make your life easier, we’ve reviewed all of the key legal changes that HR Insider covered in its Month In Review feature and distilled them into a Checklist of the HR policies that were directly affected and thus need to be revised in each jurisdiction.

HR Policies Audit Review & Revisions Checklist

1. Nationwide 

Revise OHS policies to incorporate WHMIS GHS 7 changes affecting Hazardous Products classification. Verify that Sections 9 and 14 of SDS’ list hazard information required by WHMIS GHS 7. Revise T4 filing and source deduction policies for Employee Securities Options. Revise payroll policies to incorporate 2026 EI, CPP, QPP, and income tax rates.

1. Federally Regulated

Revise leave policies to provide for the following leaves of absence for employees with at least three consecutive months of service:

• Three days’ unpaid pregnancy termination leave.
• Eight weeks’ unpaid stillborn birth leave.
• Eight weeks’ unpaid child bereavement leave.

Revise bereavement leave policy to provide that of an employees’ 10-day allotment, the first three days are paid if the employee has been employed for at least three consecutive months and the bereavement is for the death of an immediate family for whom the employee was taking compassionate care or critical illness leave. Revise out-of-province credential and certification recognition policy to account for new federal labour mobility regulations. Revise first aid policies to account for new COHS requirements.

1. Alberta 

Revise long-term injury and illness leave policy to provide that leave may last up to 27 weeks, rather than 16 weeks. Revise payroll policies to incorporate 2026 provincial income tax brackets and rates. Revise hiring and recruiting policies to incorporate new ban on requiring Canadian work experience for regulated professions. Revise workplace violence and harassment prevention plans to incorporate new OHS monitoring requirements.

1. British Columbia

Revise leave policies to provide up to 27 weeks’ unpaid leave for employees who can’t work for at least a one-week period due to serious illness or injury. Eliminate language from sick leave, attendance, and other policies that requires employees to furnish a sick note from a doctor to verify the first two health-related, short-term absences of five consecutive days or fewer in a calendar year. Revise out-of-province credential and certification recognition policy to account for new labour mobility regulations. Create sexual violence policy if you’re a post-secondary institution. Revise safety policies to incorporate new OHS requirements for combustible dusts, toxic process gases, and respiratory protection.

1. Manitoba

If applicable, incorporate new “skilled tradespersons” minimum wage requirements into your compensation and wages policies. Revise payroll policies to incorporate: 2026 provincial income tax brackets and rates, and The new BPAMB maximum of $15,780. Revise out-of-province credential and certification recognition policy to account for new labour mobility regulations. Revise anti-discrimination and harassment policies to incorporate new protections for gender expression. If applicable, create a school policy on appropriate and inappropriate interactions between students and staff.

1. New Brunswick

Revise out-of-province credential and certification recognition policy to account for new labour mobility regulations.

1. Newfoundland and Labrador

Eliminate language from sick leave, attendance, and other policies that requires employees to furnish a sick note from a doctor to verify health-related absences of three consecutive days or less.

1. Northwest Territories 

None.

1. Nova Scotia

Revise leave policies to provide employees with at least three months’ service and who are diagnosed with a serious illness to take up to 27 weeks in increments of at least one week. Revise your family responsibility leave policy to provide employees five days’ unpaid leave if they’re sick or injured and three days’ unpaid leave for medical, dental, or other appointment during work hours, or for a child, parent, or family member’s sickness or injury (as opposed to three days’ unpaid family responsibility leave required under previous Labour Standards Code rules). Revise your domestic violence leave policy to provide employees with at least three months of service domestic violence leave of at least: Five paid days (as opposed to three paid days paid under previous Code rules). Five unpaid days which may be continuous or intermittent. Sixteen unpaid weeks, which must be continuous. Revise payroll policies to incorporate the 2026 BPANS maximum of $11,932. Revise out-of-province credential and certification recognition policy to account for new labour mobility regulations. If applicable, revise your termination notice and payroll policies to incorporate the updated General Civil Service Regulations maximum severance for non-union and non-association civil servants terminated without cause. Revise pension plan documents to incorporate new rules for unlocking Life Income Fund benefits. Revise your return-to-work policies to incorporate new WCB Return to Work and Duty to Cooperate requirements. Revise your workplace incident reporting policies to require reporting of work injuries to the WCB within two days (rather than five days under previous rules).

1. Nunavut

None.

1. Ontario

Revise employment policies to incorporate new Digital Platform Workers Rights protections for gig workers, aka “digital platform workers”. Revise hiring policies to comply with new laws requiring employers with 25 or more employees to give new employees written information on their first day. Revise hiring policies to comply with new laws requiring employers with 25 or more employees to give new employees written information on their first day. Revise hiring policies to comply with new pay transparency laws requiring employers with 25 or more employees to include information about salary, AI use, and other matters in publicly posted job advertisements. Revise hiring policies to comply with new pay transparency laws requiring employers with 25 or more employees to report back to job interviewees within 45 days. Revise temporary layoff policy in accordance with new ESA rules allowing for the extension of temporary layoffs to 35 or more weeks in a 52-consecutive week period. Revise leave policies to provide up to 27 weeks’ unpaid long-term illness leave for employees with at least 13 consecutive weeks of employment. Revise leave policies to provide up to 3 days’ unpaid job search leave to employees affected by layoffs of 50 or more employees. Revise out-of-province credential and certification recognition policy to account for new Labour Mobility Act “As of Right” regulations.

1. Prince Edward Island

Revise payroll policies to incorporate 2026 BPA maximum of $15,000. Revise out-of-province credential and certification recognition policy to account for new labour mobility regulations.

1. Québec

Revise leave policy to provide for new unpaid public health emergency leave. Revise military reservist leave policy to reduce the time needed for employees to be eligible for leave from 12 to three months. Revise group termination policy by eliminating language requiring that notice of collective dismissal under the LSA be sent to CNESST and add language requiring that such notice be posted in a conspicuous location at the work site. Revise out-of-province credential and certification recognition policy to account for new labour mobility regulations. Revise pension plan documents to incorporate new rules for variable payment life pension funds in the event of a beneficiary’s death. Revise joint health and safety policies to incorporate new OHS certification training requirements.

1. Saskatchewan

Revise payroll, hours of work, rest periods, and other applicable policies to incorporate new SEA workday calculation rules. Revise group termination policy to reduce the threshold for mandatory notice of group termination from 25 to 10 employees. Revise payroll policies to incorporate new SEA rules for withholding tips and gratuities. Revise medical leave, absence, and other applicable policies to incorporate new limits on requiring employees to furnish a doctor’s note to verify health-related absences of short duration. Revise payroll policies to incorporate 2026 BPA maximum of $20,381. Revise out-of-province credential and certification recognition policy to account for new labour mobility regulations.

1. Yukon

Revise payroll policies to incorporate new Garnishee Regulation monthly wage exemptions