Paid leave now extended for victims of domestic violence in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia's provincial flag flies on a flag pole in Ottawa on July 3, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

HALIFAX — Victims of domestic violence in Nova Scotia are now entitled to more paid leave under the province’s labour standards code.

As of today, paid leave for victims of family violence expands to five days from three, a move intended to give employees more time away from their jobs to seek medical, legal and social support without the added worry of lost income.

The rules say employees with at least three months of service are entitled to up to 16 consecutive weeks leave, plus 10 additional days that can be taken either consecutively or intermittently.

The five paid days can be used during either the 16-week leave or the 10-day leave.

Labour Minister Nolan Young issued a statement saying nobody should have to choose between their safety and their paycheque.

The provincial government says the new rules align with a law passed last year declaring intimate partner violence an epidemic in the province.

The government says the changes are also in line with recommendations from the inquiry that investigated the April 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia, which started when a man assaulted his common-law wife and then fatally shot 22 people during a 13-hour rampage.

The province says an estimated one in four women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime, and it says the cost of domestic violence to the Canadian economy is estimated to be more than $7 billion annually, including lost productivity and health-care costs.

More than 10,000 Nova Scotians accessed provincial domestic violence services in the past year alone.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2025.