can employees earn vacation while on maternity leave?
In summary, yes, your Ontario employee does earn vacation time while away on maternity leave. However, you will have to look at the wording of her employment contract/offer letter to determine whether she also earns vacation pay.
If, however, the contract stipulates your employee will earn two weeks of paid vacation on an annual basis, then she will earn two weeks of paid vacation while away on a one year maternity/parental leave, regardless of the hours worked that year. Then you will owe both vacation time and pay in that instance.