Maternity + Parental Leave
Maternity and parental leave can be a joyful yet stressful time for many, as your family goes through this significant change. The information and resources provided on this web page are intended to streamline the process and provide you with critical information and timelines to help you apply for your maternity or parental leave. If you are Support Staff, Academic Staff, Management and Professional Staff (MAPS), or Postdoctoral Fellows (PDF), please ensure you read and review all the information outlined below for your particular Employee Group. If you have questions at any time during the process, please reach out to the Staff Service Centre.
Get Ready for Maternity or Parental Leave
- Review the appropriate checklist for your employee group:
- Initiate your application a minimum of three (3) months in advance of your expected due date or your expected parental leave date.
The following checklist will provide information about how to initiate your leave, who is responsible, and who to contact for more information. If you have additional questions about the leave process, please contact the Staff Service Centre.
Support Staff Maternity + Parental Checklist
Your Entitlement
Pay
- For Maternity Leave only: An employee on Maternity Leave is entitled to eight (8) weeks of top up (combined between University and EI) and benefits (as long as you have general illness entitlements). If you have a C-section, you will receive top up and benefits for ten (10) weeks.
- Auxiliary Salaried Operating: As stated above
- Auxiliary Salaried Trust: At the start of the 13th month of employment, as stated above
- Auxiliary Hourly Operating (<0.4 FTE): As stated above, top up is based on FTE.
- Auxiliary Hourly Trust: As stated above and once they have 1708 hours in their bucket. Pay based on less than 0.4 FTE.
- FT Trust Support Staff: As stated above, after one (1) year of service
- FT Operating Support Staff: As stated above.
- For Casual Level 1 or 2, an employee on Maternity Leave is not entitled to top up. If you have any remaining casual illness, it will be paid out when your maternity leave begins.
Benefits + Vacation
- Continuation of Benefits may continue beyond the original maternity and parental leave. Additional information found at the Collective Agreement - Part A Article 17.05 .
- The Personal Spending Account (PSA) will continue to be available while on maternity leave. The Health Spending Account (HSA) will only continue if the employee pays for dental or supplemental health benefits.
- Vacation is earned on the first two months of your maternity leave. After two months, your vacation is waived until your return. If you go on general illness leave before your maternity leave, the start date of your general illness will be the date used to calculate your two months of vacation entitlement.
General Illness
- General illness (GI) determines whether or not you are entitled to top up. If you do not have general illness entitlements you will only receive EI.
- Once the Employee begins General Illness (GI) Leave, hours must be entered on the employee’s timesheet. The employee and supervisor must decide who enters the hours.
- General illness benefits (more information at Employee Types)
- Regular Operating: When appointed, you receive 120 days of general illness
- Regular Trust: On the 1st day of the 13th month of your employment, you receive 120 days of general illness
- Auxiliary Salaried/Hourly Operating: You receive 850 hours of general illness
- Auxiliary Hourly Trust: Once you have earned 1707 hours worked, you receive 850 hours of general illness
- Casual Level 1/ Casual Level 2: No general illness earned. Casual illness time that has not been used, will be paid out when maternity leave begins.
The following checklist will provide information about how to initiate your leave, who is responsible, and who to contact for more information. If you have additional questions about the leave process, please contact the Staff Service Centre.
Academic Maternity + Parental Checklist
Your Entitlement
Pay + Benefits
- For Academic Faculty/FSO/APO/Librarian, an employee is eligible to receive:
- 15 weeks of maternity leave plus 10 weeks of parental leave top up at 95% of their regular salary (combined between University and EI) and full coverage of benefits
- Additional 26 weeks of paid benefits (excluding pension) while on leave without pay. Employee is eligible for Employment Insurance (EI) during this time.
- Any remaining maternity leave is without pay and without benefits. The employee has the option to pay for benefits for the remainder of their leave.
- For Parental Leave
- Salary top up and benefits are covered up to 10 weeks. Additional leave is without pay.
- If you split your parental leave, you will only receive top up and benefits on your first parental leave, regardless of the length of leave. A completed Parental Leave Agreement is required.
- For ATS/Temporary Librarian/TLAPS, an employee is eligible to receive:
- 15 weeks of maternity leave top up at 95% of their regular salary (combined between University and EI).
- 26 weeks of paid benefits (excluding pension)
- Any outstanding leave will be without pay or benefits. The employee will have the option to pay for benefits for the remainder of their leave.
- For TRAS, an employee is eligible to receive:
- 15 weeks of maternity leave top up at 95% of their regular salary (combined between University and EI)
An employee’s leave may impact their probationary period. For additional information refer to the AASUA Collective Agreement Schedules.
The following checklist will provide information about how to initiate your leave, who is responsible, and who to contact for more information. If you have additional questions about the leave process, please contact the Staff Service Centre.
MAPS Maternity + Parental Checklist
Your Entitlement
Pay + Benefits
- For MAPS, an employee is eligible to receive:
- 15 weeks of maternity leave plus an additional ten (10) weeks of parental leave top up at 95% of their regular salary (combined between University and EI).
- Paid benefits (excluding pension) for the period the employee is receiving top up. Once your top up period has ended, the employee is responsible for the continuation of benefits.
- For Parental Leave, if you split your parental leave, you will only receive top up and benefits on your first parental leave, regardless of the length of leave. A completed Parental Leave Agreement is required.
The following checklist will provide information about how to initiate your leave, who is responsible, and who to contact for more information. If you have additional questions about the leave process, please contact the Staff Service Centre.
PDF Maternity + Parental Leave Checklist
Your Entitlement
Pay + Benefits
- For PDFs, an employee who has been employed by the University for 90 days is eligible to receive:
- 18 weeks of unpaid Maternity Leave. You can apply for Employment Insurance (EI) through Service Canada.
- Up to 62 weeks of unpaid parental leave, if employed by university for 90 days.
- Check with your supervisor if grant funding provides for any paid maternity parental leave.
Complete the Paid Child Bearing/Parental Leave Form and submit to Staff Service Centre with a medical note.
- The form must be signed and indicate start and end dates of leave.
- Grad students are entitled to 6 weeks of maternity leave at 100% pay and 10 weeks of parental leave at 75% pay.
- Check with your supervisor if grant funding provides for any paid maternity parental leave.
Additional information can be found in the Graduate Program Manual - Approved Leave of Absence and the GSA Collective Agreement .
Important Notes
- The start date of your maternity leave may change. Employees will notify their supervisor and the Staff Service Centre of change of dates. Your dates will be adjusted accordingly.
- Babies have their own schedules and may arrive early or late.
- General Illness or Medical Leave may be required prior to baby’s arrival.
- If the end date of the employee’s position falls during the maternity/parental leave, the leave ends on the end date of the position unless a request has been made to extend your appointment.
- Record of Employment (ROE) is submitted after the employee’s last pay period (not employee’s last work day).
- Your pension contributions stop during your leave. Upon your return you will be provided options to purchase your pensionable leave service. Contact the Staff Service Centre for more information.