The Statutory Holidays in Canada for 2022 are the holidays that are set up by territorial, federal, and provincial labor standards legislation and it is the day which the workers get their day off included with the pay. 

These holidays are also called “stat” and “public” holidays. The employees get their holiday pay on these holidays and they are not obliged to work on that day. If the employees are coerced to work on this day they get a premium rate of 2x to 1.5x more than on a regular holiday. 

This article discusses the statutory holidays in Canada for 2022 and 2023, why they were created, the pay rules and when to expect long holidays.

Read: Ontario Trillium Payment Dates And Benefits Explained (2022)

Federal Stat Holidays in Canada 

The employees in Canada get the time to pay off 6 federally mandated statutory holidays in and around Canada. The national statutory holidays in Canada for 2022 are:

• Christmas day: 25th December.
• New year’s day: 1st January.
• Good Friday: The Friday that falls before July 1st.
• Canada day: 1st July. 
• Labor Day: First Monday of September.
• National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: September 30th.

In Quebec, employers may grant a day off to the world on one of the days of Easter Monday or Good Friday. Additionally, after the 6 holidays that are aforementioned, federally regulated employees will enjoy 4 other statutory holidays in Canada for 2022 and 10 paid general holidays.

• Boxing day will fall on 26th December. 
• Victoria Day falls on Monday prior to 25th May. 
• Thanksgiving on the 2nd Monday of October. 
• November 11th is Remembrance day. 

Some federal workers are also given a day off on Easter Monday. 

Read: The Cheapest Places to Live in Canada in 2022!

The Rules and Regulations for Federal Stat Holidays

According to the Canada Labor Code, if the employees are working even on a general holiday, they get paid an amount that is 1.5x more than the regular rate or wages that they are provided in a day. 

The holiday compensation for most of the workers is 1/20th of the wages without overtime that they get in 4 weeks before the week prior to the holiday. 

If an employee has worked continuously 12 weeks in a row and is given the pay on the basis of commission, he gets 1/60th of the payment that he was supposed to get when the holiday happened, which does not include the overtime. 

There are rules for commission workers who have not yet continually worked for 12 weeks or working in the longshoring industry, or work as truck drivers. 

Canada’s Provincial Statutory Holidays

The provinces that act solely also have the stipulated statutory holidays in Canada for 2022 that are used to celebrate the cultural and historical wonders and events. The employees get a holiday on this day and are paid a premium if they work. 

You can find the rules and regulations surrounding these in the applicable Employment Standards Act. 

1. Statutory Holidays in Ontario in 2022

In Ontario, people get over 5 national holidays, these fall on:

• Boxing Day on December 23, 2022.
• Family day will fall on February 21, 2022.
• Thanksgiving Day will fall on October 10, 2022. 
• Victoria Day will fall on 23 May 2022. 

Ontario is the only state where boxing day is considered a statutory holiday. Hence, there are 9 statutory.

Read: How Much Do You Need For An Ontario House Down Payment?

The Pay Rules for Statutory Holidays in Ontario

If an employee takes on the responsibility of working on a holiday they will get 1.5 times more hourly rate for all the hours that they work.  They can also choose to get the regular payment and a substitute for the day off and enjoy a holiday on another day. 

In essence, on a public holiday, the employee gets 1/20th or 5% of the total set wages that they get in a period spanning 4 weeks which precede the week in which the holiday is supposed to fall. 

For instance, if the gross pay of an employee for the 4th week before the holiday is $5,000, then the pay for working on the holiday would be $250, or 5000 x 5%.

For employees, who work without any breaks like in a restaurant, hospital, hotel, or nursing home, they can be called upon to work suddenly on to work even on a holiday in case of emergency or on the day that they have their shift. 

In that case, if the employee does not reach their working shift at the stipulated time without any reason, they will be barred from getting the payment for the holiday.

Read: ODSP Payment Dates 2022: When Will You Get Your Disability Benefits?

2. Alberta Statutory Holidays in 2022

For Alberta, 9 public holidays fall in the year 2022, with 3 optional holidays. The 3 crucial holidays in this province are:

• Thanksgiving day will fall on October 10, 2022. 
• Alberta family day will fall on February 21, 2022. 
• Victoria Day will fall on May 23, 2022. 

The employers reserve the right to choose if they want to render more holidays to their employees on the days of Boxing day, Heritage day, or Easter Monday. 

Read: Which Are the Best Life Insurance Companies in Canada?

The Pay Rules for Statutory Holidays in Alberta

In Alberta, the employees have the right to get the general holiday pay, if the employer has not stayed static in the last 30 days after the last 12 months. If the employee works on the holiday if that occurs on the normal working day, they receive a payment that is 1.5x higher than their wage rate for the number of hours that they work extra.

On the other hand, the employee also has the choice to choose to work on that day on regular pay and keep in reserve, a day for the future where they can take off. 

3. Public Holidays in Manitoba in 2022

Over 9 statutory holidays in Canada for 2022 fall in the province of Manitoba out of which 3 have been legislated by the province.

• Thanksgiving day will fall on 10th October 2022.
• Louis Riel Day will fall on 21 February 2022. 
• Victoria Day will fall on 23rd May 2022. 

However, in Manitoba, Terry Fox Day, Remembrance Day, Easter Sunday, and National Day for Truth and Reconciliation are not considered statutory holidays. 

Some rules and regulations are put on specific industries that can operate on Remembrance Day. For instance, retail stores need to be closed from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Read: How To Select The Perfect Location For Retirement In Canada?

The Pay Rules for Statutory Holidays in Manitoba

The payment for holidays for employees who have a regular schedule is the pay on an average day. If the employee has wages that vary, they pay 5% of the gross wages for the hours that they work without the overtime, which falls in a 4 week period. 

If an employee is working even on a public holiday, they get 1.5x pay in addition to the regular wages. 

The people who work in the hotels, restaurants, gas stations, and hospitals, or continuous business get their regular pay and a paid holiday in future a day after the stat holiday. However, before the substitute day, if the worker terminates their work at the place, the employer is obliged to pay for the working holiday within a time period of 10 days after the employment has ended. 

In case, the employee has to work on the holiday, but they are not able to fulfill their said duty, they are not entitled to the holiday payment. 

4. B.C. Statutory Holidays in Canada in 2022

The B.C. enjoys over 20 stat holidays, which has 5 provincial holidays/

• Remembrance Day will fall on 11th November 2022. 
• B.C Day will fall on 1st August 2022 (Long August Weekend)
• British Columbia day will fall on 21st February 2022. 
• Victoria Day will fall on 23rd May 2022.

In B.C, Boxing Day and Easter Monday are not considered statutory holidays, and the Monday that falls first in August is called the B.C. day.

Read: Can You Withdraw RRSP Without Paying Taxes?

The Pay Rules for Statutory Holidays in British Columbia

The employees are entitled to the holiday pay if they have been working for at least 30 days, and they have been coming to work 15 of the 30 days before the stat holiday falls. 

The formula to calculate the payments for B.C. stat holiday is:

Total wages / No. of working days = Pay for statutory holiday

This calculates the average payment for the worker for 30 working days before the holiday, which is not inclusive of the overtime. If an employee is working on the day of the holiday, they are obligated to be paid 1.5x more than the regular pay in the first 12 hours, and beyond 12 hours, they get 2x of their daily regular wages. 

The people who might not get this holiday pay are nursing students. Farmworkers, fishers, managers, and IT professionals. 

5. Saskatchewan and Its Statutory Holidays for 2022

Saskatchewan enjoys over 10 stat holidays, out of which 5 are provincial. These are:

• Remembrance Day will fall on 11th November 2022.
• Saskatchewan Family Day will fall on 21st February 2022. 
• Victoria Day will fall on 23 May 2022. 
• Saskatchewan day will fall on 1st August 2022. 
• Thanksgiving day will fall on 10th October 2022. 

On August 1st Monday, Saskatchewan Day is observed. 

The Pay Rules for Statutory Holidays in Saskatchewan

If an employee works on the day of the holiday, they are entitled to get paid 1.5x times more than their daily wages. 5% of the gross wages is used to calculate the regular holiday pay except for overtime in the last 28 days. This falls 4 weeks before the holiday is there.

If a new employee has worked for 28 days prior to the holiday, they get 5% of their regular wages that they have accumulated prior to the holiday. 

Read: 13 Amazing Places to Retire in Canada!

The construction workers get hourly wages which equal 4% of their total wages except for the overtime and their vacation pay for the calendar year. Some employees who enjoy the special stat holiday pay are commercial hog operations employees, hospital staff who work full time, hotels, restaurants, and nursing homes. 

6. Quebec’s Statutory Holidays for 2022 

Quebec enjoys 8 state holidays which have 3 provincial holidays. These are:

• Thanksgiving Day will fall on 10th October 2022. 
• National Holiday will fall on 24th October 2022. 
• National Patriots’ Day will fall on 23rd May 2022. 

The Monday that falls after 25th May is National Patriots’ Day. Another name for the National Holiday is St. Jean Baptiste Day. 

For people working in the clothing industry, they get 2 more provincial statutory holidays in Canada for 2022 on 2nd January and Easter Monday. An employer can prompt the employees to exchange Easter Monday for Good Friday in Quebec too. 

Read: Government Benefits Available For Seniors In Canada!

The Pay Rules for Statutory Holidays in Quebec

The employee can get indemnity holiday pay for 5% of the earned wages for 4 weeks before the holiday. If the employee gets paid in commissions, their payment for the holiday will be 1.67% of the money that they have worked for over 12 weeks before the holidays without the overtime. 

If the employee works on a statutory holiday, they get compensatory holiday or holiday pay as per the preference of the employer. There can be a substitute holiday within three weeks of the holiday. This can be before or after the holiday. 

If the employee does not fulfill his duty without informing or without permission, then they are not entitled to the payment for their holiday or the substitute holiday. 

7. Stat Holidays in Nova Scotia in 2022

Nova Scotia has over 7 statutory holidays out of which, one is a provincial holiday. This holiday is:

• Heritage day will fall on 21st February 2022.

Employers have the right to grant a day off on 11th November on Remembrance Day, this does not fall under the category of statutory paid holiday according to the Labor Standards Code. The Remembrance Day Act is covered by Remembrance Day.

Read: What Do You Need To Know About Locked-in Retirement Account In Canada?

The Pay Rules for Statutory Holidays in Nova Scotia

The employees can get the stat holiday pay if they have worked for 15 days or 30 days before the holiday and have also fulfilled their last duty prior to the holiday and after the holiday, they have worked their first shift. 

The employees who fulfill this requirement have the right to get the same pay as their working day on this day off.

If the employee even comes in for work on the holiday, he/she will get 1.5x of the regular wage for the hours that they have worked for. If the employee comes into work on Remembrance Day, is obliged to get paid for 15 or 30 days before the holiday, and they can get a substitute day off too. 

The employees who do not receive statutory holiday pay in Nova Scotia are car sales professionals, real estate, farm employees, and fishing boat employees. 

8. New Brunswick Statutory holidays for 2022 

New Brunswick has stat holidays out of which 3 are provincial, these are:

• Remembrance day falls on 11th November 2022. 
• Family Day falls on 21st February 2022. 
• New Brunswick day falls on August 1, 2022. 

In New Brunswick, Thanksgiving and Victoria Day are not deemed as public holidays with pay. An employer reserves the right to offer this holiday on some other day to his/her employees.

Read: The Ultimate Guide on How to Buy a House in Canada

August’s first Monday is celebrated as New Brunswick Day.

The Pay Rules for Statutory Holidays in New Brunswick

Employees get paid holiday if they have been working at the same place for 90 days in the last 12 months before the holiday falls. This means they have adhered to their regular working schedule after and before the statutory holiday. 

The holiday payment in New Brunswick is the same as the regular payment that employees get. If the employee works on the paid holiday they will get their generic pay and 1.5x for the extra hours that they have worked. 

The employer also has the right to decide to pay 4% more from the gross wages of the employee. Hence, if the employee is working on the statutory holidays in Canada for 2022 in New Brunswick, they get 2.5x of their regular wage rates and 4% of their gross wages for the number of hours worked on a holiday. 

9. Statutory holidays in Canada for 2022 for Newfoundland and Labrador

According to the Labor Standards Act, Newfoundland and Labrador get 6 statutory holidays and 2 of them are provincial holidays:

• Remembrance Day will fall on 11th November 2022.
• Memorial Day will fall on 1st July 2022. 

The employees who work in the provincial government are also entitled to 6 paid holidays, these are:

• Boxing day will fall on 26th December 2022. 
• St. Patrick’s will fall on 14th March 2022. 
• Orangemen’s Day will fall on 11th July 2022.
• St. George’s Day will fall on 25th April 2022.
• National Day for Truth and Reconciliations will fall on 30th September 2022.
• Discovery Day or the present June Holiday will fall on 27th June 2022.

An additional civic holiday is also offered whose date is different for cities and municipalities. 

Read: 8 Great Ways To Save For A House Down Payment In Canada

The Pay Rules for Statutory Holidays in  Newfoundland and Labrador

For an employee working on the paid statutory holidays in Canada for 2022, in Newfoundland and Labrador:

•  An extra holiday.
• 2x wage of their regular rate for the hours that they have worked on a holiday, or
• Extra holiday with payment to be made within 30 days.

If the employee works for hours that are less than their normal working scheduled hours, they are entitled to receive their regular pay for the work that they executed, and the regular pay for a day too.

In case the employees have been working for 30 days prior to the holiday and have fulfilled their normal working schedule after and before the holiday falls, they should receive the holiday payment. 

If an employee works for different hours, they receive their hour wages multiplied by the average hours for 3 weeks before the holiday.

Read: A Comprehensive List of Instant Approval Credit Cards in Canada

10. Edward Island Statutory Holidays for 2022 

PEI (Prince Edward Island) enjoys 7 statutory holidays in Canada, out of which 2 paid public holidays are:

• Remembrance Day will fall on 11th November. 
• Islanders day will fall on 21st February 2022.

February’s 3rd Monday is celebrated as Islanders Day.

The Pay Rules for Statutory Holidays in Prince Edward Island

The requirements of an employee for a paid public holiday in Canada for 2022 in PEI are:

• The employee has fulfilled his/her shift prior to the holiday and just after the holiday on their scheduled duty. 
• Have gotten the wages for at least 15 out of the 30 calendar days. 
• Have been working with the same employer for at least 30 days. 

The payment for the stat holiday is the same as the regular pay. If the employee works on the statutory holiday, they will get the regular pay and 1.5x more than their hourly pay rates for the days that they have worked for. The employer and employee can mutually agree on a regular rate and the substitute day off.

Read: Can You Beat Inflation in Canada?

11. Statutory Holidays in Canada for 2022 in Northwest Territories

The Northwest Territories acquire 11 statutory holidays out of which 5 are territorial holidays. These are:

• Remembrance Day will fall on 11th November 2022.
• Victoria Day will fall on 23rd May 2022.
• The First Monday of August is a holiday.
• Indigenous peoples holiday will fall on 21st June. 2022.
• Thanksgiving day will fall on 10th October 2022.

Previously called the National Aboriginal Day, now called the National Indigenous Peoples; Day was initiated in 1996 and falls on 21st June yearly. 

The Pay Rules for Statutory Holidays in Northwest territories

According to the NWT standards, a substitute holiday can be provided for the statutory holidays in Canada for 2022 in NWT under the collective agreement or addressing an application by an employee for the other employees that are not a part of the trade union. 

The employees get the holiday pay if they have:

• Kept working with a single employer for 30 days before the 12 months of the holiday.
• Worked on shift before and after the holiday without any lag.

This statutory holiday payment is the same as the average daily payment for the employee. If an employee works on the statutory holiday, they get average payment for the day for the hours that they have worked for a holiday, or they can exchange it for a substitute holiday. 

Read: 5 Amazing Tax Refund Spending Ideas in Canada

12. Stat Holidays in Yukon for 2022

Yukon enjoys 11 stat holidays with 5 territorial holidays:

• Remembrance day falls on 11th November 2022.
• Victoria Day falls on 23rd May 2022. 
• Indigenous Peoples’ Day will fall on 21st June 2022. 
• Discovery day will fall on 15th August 2022. 
• Thanksgiving day will fall on 10th October 2022. 

Read: Can You Transfer RRSP To TFSA Without Penalty?

The Pay Rules for Statutory Holidays in Yukon

An employee can get the paid statutory holiday if they have:

• Kept working with a single employer for 30 days before the 12 months of the holiday.

• Worked on shift before and after the holiday without any lag.

The payment for statutory holidays in Yukon is the same as the payment for a regular day for the hours that the employee has worked on a holiday. The people who get a definite salary will be given a holiday with pay.

Employees who have varying shifts will get 10% of the wages with overtime if they have fulfilled their duties for 2 weeks before the holiday falls. 

If the employee works on a statutory holiday, they get paid the overtime rate for the hours they have worked and the general holiday pays too. They can also be provided the regular pay rate and a day holiday on a mutual time agreement.

Read: All You Need to Know About Canada Fed Deposit in 2022!

The post Must Know Statutory Holidays In Canada For 2022 appeared first on YourFirst.ca.