Vancouver Island mayor calls for parental leave for civic politicians

After taking maternity leave, a Vancouver Island mayor lost her position with the local regional district — prompting municipal politicians on the Island and other coastal B.C. communities to agree to ask the province to amend its laws around parental leave for locally elected officials.

Sooke Mayor Maja Tait told On the Island host Gregor Craigie that before she went on maternity leave, she had to have her council pass a resolution granting her the time off, because she said the current regulations for local elected officials don't address this kind of leave.

Then when she returned, April 1, after four months away, she found that her role as director of the Capital Regional District had been handed to another Sooke councillor, with no sign she would get back the job, which pays a $17,000 stipend.

The region's mayors usually represent their municipalities on the CRD.

"It is a role that is traditionally held by the mayor, but your council still is required to pass a resolution endorsing that position, so in my case when I went on leave things shifted and then when I came back there was confusion as to whether or not I would be reinstated," Tait said.

Region's politicians call for change

By April 11, Tait was reinstated in the role.

At the annual convention of the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities in Nanaimo April 8 to 10, delegates voted unanimously to pass a resolution asking the provincial government to update the regulations around maternity and paternity leave for elected officials.

They want to bring the Local Government Act and Community Charter in line with the B.C. Employment Standards Act, which guarantees the rights of parents to maternity and parental leave.

The resolution, which was brought forward by an Oak Bay councillor, also asks that the legislation be changed so that elected officials can return to work on the same terms that were in place when they began their leave, and that any changes to their appointments on committees, boards or commissions won't be made as a result of their parental leave.

'A barrier'

Tait said the proposed changes would remove the struggle she had to face — having to figure out how to take maternity leave, and how to deal with the confusion around her duties when she returned.

"When we want to encourage younger women to get involved in politics and you ask why they choose not to, it's because many want to start a family. So it's not just the time commitment, but it's how you encourage [that] …" she said.

"This is a barrier that needs to be looked at. I had to ask my council for permission to go on maternity leave. My job changed when I went away."

With files from CBC's On the Island

To hear the full story listen to the audio labelled: Vancouver Island mayor's maternity leave mix-up leads to calls for updated legislation