September 23, 2022
“Last year I was briefly laid off and my fiancée and I broke up. Then this year my mom passed away. I became depressed and anxious. I started missing work, and when I was at work, I couldn’t focus. My boss called me into her office. I half expected to be fired. Instead, she asked me how I was doing. She encouraged me to take time off. She suggested I see a counsellor through our workplace’s employee assistance program to get the help I need.”
– S.P., Cranbrook, BC
For both workers and employers, it can be challenging to navigate conversations that touch on mental health issues. In our new page on mental health and rights at work, we cover what you should know when it comes to disclosing mental health issues, and other legal rights relating to mental health and work.
If you experience mental health issues, you’re likely to be in contact with the health care system. A second new page, mental health and health care, covers your rights to access health care, when seeing a mental health professional, and to make your own decisions.
And in mental health and discrimination, learn what amounts to discrimination based on a mental disability, and steps to take if you’re discriminated against.
Many thanks to reviewers Laura Track and Jonathan Blair, both of the Community Legal Assistance Society, for reviewing these pages for legal accuracy.