Canada's Statutory Holidays
While there are a number of holidays in Canada, it's important to note that several of these holidays are informal, celebratory occasions. Listed below are "Statutory Holidays", which are the days governments (federal, provincial or territorial) deem businesses must make certain allowances, varying by jurisdiction and/or occasion. This may mean all stores must close, or simply that employees must be paid a premium to work on these statutory holidays.
For the most part, on these holidays, offices, government services and banks will be closed. Some services, of course, never close, including airports, major border crossings, railway and bus stations and some gas stations. The closing of stores can vary from one province to another, and even within a city. However, most major stores will be closed or have limited hours on the holidays outlined below, and, on the major holidays (e.g. Christmas, New Year's Day, Easter), expect an even greater number of closings. However, in Alberta many stores will be open on statutory holidays, from at least 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Prince Edward Island was the last province to consider Sundays to be a holiday, meaning most stores (including large grocery stores) were only open six days per week. However, PEI's Sunday shopping restrictions were removed completely in late 2010. In general, if you need to go shopping on a Sunday or holiday in Canada for anything beyond groceries, your best bet is to head for a major mall or a store belonging to a major chain (e.g. Canadian Tire, London Drugs).
For holidays that fall on a Saturday or Sunday, the next business day(s) is usually observed as the holiday for offices, government services and banks.
Statutory Holidays in 2015 and 2016
Date Celebrated |
Canadian Holiday |
in 2015 |
in 2016 |
Jurisdiction |
January 1 |
New Year's Day |
Jan 1 |
Jan 1 |
National |
January 2 |
Jan 2 |
Jan 2 |
Jan 2 |
Quebec only |
2nd or 3rd Monday in February
|
(name varies)e.g. Family Day, Louis Riel Day, Islander Day |
Feb 16
Feb 9 |
Feb 15
Feb 8 |
Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Prince Edward Island BC (Family Day)
|
4th Monday in February |
Heritage Day |
Feb 23 |
Feb 22 |
Yukon Territory only |
two days before Easter Sunday |
Good Friday |
Apr3 |
Mar 25 |
National |
1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after spring equinox |
Easter Sunday |
Apr5 |
Mar 27 |
Quebec, Newfoundland & Labrador |
day after Easter Sunday |
Easter Monday |
Apr6 |
Mar 28 |
Quebec only - Quebec employers may choose to close on Easter Monday instead of on Good Friday |
Monday nearest April 24 |
St George's Day |
Apr 27 |
Apr25 |
Newfoundland & Labrador only |
Monday before May 25 |
Victoria Day |
May 18 |
May23 |
National |
June 21 |
National Aboriginal Day |
Jun 21 |
Jun 21 |
Northwest Territories only |
June 24 |
Fête nationale (St Jean Baptiste) |
Jun 24 |
Jun 24 |
Quebec only |
|
|
|
|
|
July 1 |
Canada Day |
Jul 1 |
Jul 1 |
National |
2nd Monday in July |
Nunavut Day |
Jul13 |
Jul 11 |
Nunavut only |
1st Monday in August |
Civic Holiday |
Aug3 |
Aug1 |
Ontario, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Nunavut only |
|
New Brunswick Day |
Aug3 |
Aug 1 |
New Brunswick only |
|
Saskatchewan Day |
Aug3 |
Aug 1 |
Saskatchewan only |
|
Heritage Day |
Aug3 |
Aug 1 |
Alberta only |
|
British Columbia Day |
Aug 4 |
Aug1 |
BC only |
3rd Monday in August |
Discovery Day |
Aug 17 |
Aug 15 |
Yukon only |
|
|
|
|
|
1st Monday in September |
Labour Day |
Sep 7 |
Sep 5 |
National |
2nd Monday in October |
Thanksgiving Day |
Oct 12 |
Oct 10 |
National |
November 11 |
Remembrance Day |
Nov 11 |
Nov 11 |
National, except Ontario and Quebec |
December 24 |
Christmas Eve |
Dec 24 |
Dec 24 |
Nova Scotia - afternoon only |
December 25 |
Christmas Day |
Dec 25 |
Dec 25 |
National |
December 26 |
Boxing Day |
Dec 26 |
Dec 26 |
Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, and Newfoundland only |
Informal Holidays
Many days are not statutory holidays, but are still marked with festivities or even time off granted by employers beyond what is required by provincial legislation. Since they can affect your visit in various ways, they are listed below:
Valentine's Day: Feb. 14. A celebration of romantic relationships.The second busiest day of the year for Canadian dine-in restaurants. The busiest day of the year for florists and chocolate shops.
St. Patrick's Day: Mar. 17. Celebration of Irish heritage. Some Newfoundland businesses and government offices may close for St. Patrick's Day or the closest Monday.
April Fool's Day: Apr. 1. A day for tricks and practical jokes. In some areas, according to local tradition, jokes are supposed to end at noon.
St. George's Day: Apr. 23. Celebration of British heritage. Some Newfoundland businesses and government offices may close for St. George's Day or the closest Monday.
Mother's Day: Second Sunday in May. A day to honour mothers and grandmothers. The busiest day of the year for Canadian dine-in restaurants.
Father's Day: Third Sunday in June. A day to honour fathers and grandfathers.
Discovery Day: Newfoundland only. June 24. Some Newfoundland businesses and government offices may close for Discovery Day or the closest Monday.
Jour Déménagement (Moving Day): Quebec only. 1 July. For historic reasons, most leases in Quebec expire on July 1, so traffic in Montreal and Quebec City can become quite busy with the large numbers of people moving house on this day.
Stampede Parade Day: Calgary, Alberta only. First Friday in July after July 1 (Canada Day). Most office-based businesses give their employees the morning of the Calgary Stampede parade off with pay, so that they can take their families to the Stampede parade. A large part of downtown is blocked off for the parade route.
Orangemen's Day: Newfoundland only. July 12. Some Newfoundland businesses and government offices may close for Orangemen's Day or the closest Monday.
Natal Day / August Civic Holiday: Nova Scotia only. First Monday in August. Some local businesses and government offices may close.
Regatta Day: St. John's, Newfoundland only. First Wednesday in August. Most businesses and government offices will close for Regatta Day.
Halloween: Oct. 31. A day for celebrating the spooky and scary, and dressing up in a wide variety of costumes. After dark, children go from house to house dressed in costume, begging for candy treats, so be very careful when driving in suburban areas after nightfall.
Christmas Eve: Dec. 24. Expect most retailers and other businesses to close early, usually around noon for offices and 4 p.m. for stores.
Boxing Day: Dec. 26. In Alberta many shoppers rise early to line up for Boxing Day sales. Except for the retail industry, which works on Boxing Day, nearly all other businesses are closed. It is not a statutory holiday in Alberta, but granting workers a paid holiday on this date is a widespread custom.