Maternity leave for research fellows in Toronto

[SaraKoala]

Hi everyone,

I am new to this forum, and have so far not seen a post in this regard.

My husband and I will be moving to Toronto in 2 weeks on my work permit, I will be starting work as a postdoctoral research fellow.

I cannot find any information about maternity leave for research fellows, especially as they aren't classed as staff like in the UK.

Although we aren't planning on trying for at least a year, its good to be prepared, financially so any information would be really helpful

[Graeme]

Maternity leave is highly variable depending on who you work for, the government does give maternity benefits via the unemployment benefits program and your place of work can top up the payments to your normal salary rate. The length of time off is usually 6 months but can be extended to a year here in BC, sorry I'm not sure about Ontario. I'd contact your employer or have a very good look at the employment contract as it should be in there.
Good luck