Burnaby sits between Vancouver and the Tri-Cities with limited walk-in clinic access. MedLetter delivers a physician-reviewed sick note to your email same day. No SkyTrain commute. No Kingsway traffic. No lost shift.
If you live or work in Burnaby and need a sick note for your employer, you have several options — but not all of them are practical when you are actually unwell. Walk-in clinics across Burnaby routinely have wait times of 2-3 hrs, and many close by 5pm or are not open on weekends. For shift workers, gig workers, and anyone without a family doctor, getting a simple piece of documentation can mean losing an entire day of wages on top of already feeling sick.
MedLetter is an online medical documentation service that connects Burnaby residents with CPSBC-registered physicians who can review your situation and issue official sick notes, return-to-work letters, stress leave documentation, and workplace accommodation letters — all delivered by email, typically same day of submission. There is no clinic visit, no waiting room, and no need to have a family doctor. The entire process is completed from your phone or computer.
Every document issued through MedLetter is reviewed and signed by a physician registered with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia (CPSBC). This means your employer, HR department, insurance provider, or academic institution must accept it — there is no legal distinction between a note issued after a virtual consultation and one issued after an in-person visit, provided the physician determines it is clinically appropriate.
The process takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. You do not need to schedule an appointment, create an account, or provide your health card number.
Fill out a secure online form describing your symptoms, the dates you were or will be absent from work, and your employer's name. You will also provide your full name, date of birth, and email address where the note should be delivered. The form takes most people under 5 minutes.
A CPSBC-registered physician reviews your submission to determine whether medical documentation is clinically appropriate for your situation. This is not an automated process — a real physician reads your information and makes a clinical judgment. If additional information is needed, the physician may reach out by phone or email.
Once approved, your signed sick note is delivered as a PDF to the email address you provided. Most notes are delivered within 2 to 4 hours for submissions received before 2pm. You can forward it directly to your employer, HR department, or upload it to your company's absence management system.
Burnaby's walk-in clinics are concentrated along Kingsway and near Metrotown — leaving Burnaby Heights, Capitol Hill, and the SFU area with limited access. MedLetter delivers same-day for all submissions before 2pm PST. No driving on Kingsway or waiting at a packed Metrotown clinic.
This matters because most employers expect documentation on the day you call in sick, or at the very latest, on your first day back. If you call in sick on Monday morning and cannot get a clinic appointment until Wednesday, you may face disciplinary action or have your absence recorded as unexcused. MedLetter eliminates this gap by delivering documentation the same day you submit your request, so you can forward it to your manager or HR before your next scheduled shift.
Delivery timeline: Before 2pm PST: same day (typically 2-4 hours). After 2pm: by 9am next business day.
BC's Employment Standards Act provides 5 paid and 3 unpaid sick days per year. Burnaby's economy is anchored by major employers — Electronic Arts, BCIT, Burnaby General Hospital, Metropolis at Metrotown retailers, and the film industry. EA and other tech companies have internal policies requiring documentation after 2-3 days. BCIT staff follow institutional policies. Film workers (IATSE 891) require documentation for any missed shoot day.
It is important to understand that the law and your employer's policy are two different things. Even if the British Columbia Employment Standards Act does not require a sick note for your specific situation, your employer may still have an internal policy that does. Refusing to provide documentation when your employer's policy requires it — even if the law does not mandate it — can result in the absence being recorded as unauthorized. MedLetter helps you avoid this conflict by providing documentation quickly and affordably, regardless of whether it is legally required or simply expected.
Reference: BC Employment Standards Act, Section 49.1
MedLetter serves workers across every industry in Burnaby. The common thread is that these are people who cannot afford to spend half a day in a walk-in clinic waiting room when they are already dealing with illness, injury, or a medical situation that requires time away from work.
A QA tester at Electronic Arts' Burnaby studio on Sanderson Way who develops a migraine. EA's policy requires documentation after 2 consecutive days. The nearest walk-in on Kingsway has a 3-hour wait.
A set decorator working at a production at Burnaby's Bridge Studios who wakes up with food poisoning. IATSE 891 requires documentation for any absence from a scheduled production day.
A BCIT instructor in the Aerospace Technology program who needs documentation for a missed lab session. BCIT's HR policy requires a note for absences affecting scheduled teaching.
A respiratory therapist at Burnaby Hospital who develops a cough. Fraser Health infection control requires documentation before returning to patient care.
A sales associate at Metropolis at Metrotown whose employer requires a note for any absence during Boxing Day/Black Friday season. The walk-in near Metrotown has a 3-hour wait.
A network engineer at Telus' Burnaby office who needs documentation for their company's paid sick leave policy. They live in Brentwood and the nearest accepting walk-in is in New Westminster.
Burnaby's population has grown significantly with new condo developments along the SkyTrain corridor (Brentwood, Lougheed, Edmonds) but family physician capacity has not kept pace. Many new residents — particularly international students at SFU and BCIT — have no Canadian healthcare provider. MedLetter requires no family doctor, no referral, and no clinic registration.
For people without a family doctor, getting a sick note traditionally means going to a walk-in clinic and waiting for hours alongside people with more complex medical needs. This is not only inconvenient — it is also a public health concern, as you may be exposing others to your illness or exposing yourself to theirs while immunocompromised. MedLetter provides an alternative that does not require you to have an existing relationship with a physician, a provincial health card, or a clinic registration.
Burnaby's rapid densification has outpaced primary care capacity
Burnaby's walk-in clinics serve 260,000+ residents but are concentrated in a few locations. The city's hilly terrain and limited east-west transit make accessing clinics difficult from many neighbourhoods.
The table below compares your options for getting a sick note in Burnaby. Walk-in clinic wait times are based on community-reported averages and may vary by time of day, day of week, and season.
| Clinic | Address | Wait Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kingsway Medical Clinic | 4488 Kingsway | 2-4 hours | Busiest walk-in in Burnaby. Serves East Van overflow. |
| Metrotown Medical Centre | 4500 Kingsway | 2-3 hours | Near Metrotown. High volume, especially weekends. |
| Brentwood Walk-In | 4567 Lougheed Hwy | 1.5-3 hours | Serves north Burnaby. Limited evening hours. |
| Edmonds Medical Clinic | 7155 Kingsway | 2-3 hours | South Burnaby. Closes at 6pm. |
| MedLetter (Online) | From your home | 0 min wait | CPSBC physician review. Delivered by email. $49 flat. |
The cost of a sick note in Burnaby depends on where you get it. Walk-in clinics typically charge between $20 and $50 for a sick note, but this does not account for the hidden costs: 2 to 4 hours of lost wages while you wait, transportation costs to get to the clinic, and the physical toll of sitting in a waiting room while you are sick. For someone earning $25/hour, a 3-hour clinic wait represents $75 in lost wages on top of the $30 clinic fee — making the true cost over $100.
MedLetter charges a flat fee of $49 for a standard sick note with same-day delivery. There are no hidden fees, no consultation charges, and no follow-up costs. You submit your information from home, and the note arrives in your email. When you factor in the time saved and the wages you do not lose, MedLetter is often the most affordable option — especially for shift workers, hourly employees, and anyone who cannot afford to take half a day off work just to get a piece of paper.
Yes. Every sick note issued through MedLetter is signed by a physician registered with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia (CPSBC). Under British Columbia law, there is no distinction between medical documentation issued after a virtual consultation and documentation issued after an in-person visit. Your employer cannot refuse a legitimate sick note solely because it was obtained online.
MedLetter notes include the physician's name, CPSBC registration number, clinic information, the dates of your absence, and a professional attestation that you were assessed and that time away from work is medically appropriate. This is the same information that would appear on a note from any walk-in clinic or family doctor's office in Burnaby.
Below are the most common questions we receive from Burnaby residents about getting a sick note online.
Submit a secure intake form on MedLetter describing your symptoms and dates. A CPSBC-registered physician reviews your request and delivers your signed sick note by email same day.
Yes. MedLetter delivers same-day for all requests before 2pm PST. Burnaby walk-in clinics have 2-3 hour waits.
Yes. EA, Telus, and all Burnaby employers accept documentation from CPSBC-registered physicians. Virtual care documentation is standard practice.
MedLetter charges $49 flat. Walk-in clinics charge $30-60 plus 2-3 hours of waiting.
Yes. MedLetter requires no family doctor or referral. Many Burnaby residents, especially near SFU and BCIT, are unattached.
IATSE 891 members typically need documentation for any missed shoot day. MedLetter delivers same day so you have documentation before the next call time.
Tech companies, film studios, and healthcare employers in Burnaby require documentation for any unscheduled absence. Their HR systems flag undocumented absences automatically. A $49 note takes 2 minutes and keeps your record clean.
MedLetter serves all Burnaby — Metrotown, Brentwood, Lougheed, Edmonds, Deer Lake. Submit online and get your signed doctor's note by email same day. No SkyTrain ride to a walk-in required.
Burnaby employers in tech (Electronic Arts, Ballard Power), healthcare, and retail all track attendance. Undocumented absences flag your file for HR review. After 2-3 undocumented sick days, you may face a performance improvement plan or termination. A $49 sick note takes 2 minutes and protects your career.
MedLetter serves every neighbourhood in Burnaby. Because our service is entirely online, it does not matter whether you live in a neighbourhood with good clinic access or one of the many communities where walk-in options are limited.
Many of Burnaby's largest employers have specific sick note policies that require documentation after a certain number of consecutive absent days. MedLetter has issued documentation accepted by all of the following employers:
Students at Burnaby post-secondary institutions often need medical documentation for deferred exams, late assignment submissions, or academic petitions. MedLetter provides same-day sick notes accepted by the following institutions: