Is Remembrance Day a stat holiday?
Remembrance Day is Wednesday, November 11, 2026. It is a paid statutory holiday in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, and for federally regulated workers such as bank, airline and telecom employees.
It is not a paid statutory holiday in Ontario or Quebec. Manitoba and Nova Scotia have their own Remembrance Day rules that limit work on November 11 but don't make it a regular paid holiday.
That makes Remembrance Day one of the most confusing holidays in Canada — the same employer can owe holiday pay to staff in Calgary and nothing to staff in Toronto.
Remembrance Day 2026 by province
| Province / territory | Paid holiday? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| British Columbia | Yes | Statutory holiday; average day's pay |
| Alberta | Yes | General holiday; paid if it falls on a normal work day |
| Saskatchewan | Yes | Public holiday; 5% of recent wages |
| Manitoba | No | Remembrance Day Act limits work and business hours, but it is not a general holiday |
| Ontario | No | Not a public holiday under the Employment Standards Act |
| Quebec | No | Not a statutory holiday |
| New Brunswick | Yes | Paid public holiday |
| Nova Scotia | No | Not in the Labour Standards Code; covered by a separate Remembrance Day Act |
| Prince Edward Island | Yes | Paid holiday |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Yes | Paid holiday; working it pays double time |
| Yukon, NWT, Nunavut | Yes | Paid holiday |
| Federal (banks, airlines, telecom) | Yes | General holiday under the Canada Labour Code |
These are employment standards minimums. Many employers — including most governments, banks and schools — close on November 11 even where it isn't required, and union contracts often make it a paid day off.
Is Remembrance Day a holiday in Ontario?
No. Remembrance Day is not one of Ontario's nine public holidays, so employers don't have to give the day off or pay public holiday pay. If you work on November 11 in Ontario, you're paid your regular rate.
Federal government offices and federally regulated businesses in Ontario — banks, Canada Post, airlines — do observe it, which is why many people assume it's a provincial holiday. Schools and most private employers in Ontario stay open, usually pausing for two minutes of silence at 11 a.m.
Ontario's next public holidays after Thanksgiving are Christmas Day (Friday, December 25) and Boxing Day (Saturday, December 26).
How Remembrance Day holiday pay works
Where Remembrance Day is a paid holiday, you get holiday pay — roughly an average day's wages — if you meet your province's eligibility rules. If you work that day, most provinces add 1.5× your regular rate for the hours worked.
- BC: an average day's pay (wages in the last 30 days ÷ days worked). Working it: 1.5× for the first 12 hours, 2× after.
- Alberta: an average daily wage, but only if November 11 is a day you would normally work. Working it: 1.5× plus holiday pay, or regular pay plus another day off.
- Saskatchewan: 5% of your wages from the four weeks before. Working it: 1.5× plus holiday pay.
- Newfoundland and Labrador: a regular day's pay. Working it: double time, or regular pay plus another paid day off.
For example, a BC worker earning $25 an hour who worked 20 eight-hour days in the 30 days before gets $4,000 ÷ 20 = $200 for the day off — or $200 plus $300 (8 hours × $37.50) if they work.
Manitoba and Nova Scotia's Remembrance Day rules
Manitoba isn't on the paid-holiday list, but its Remembrance Day Act restricts which businesses can operate and when on November 11, so many employees get time off even though no holiday pay is owed. Essential services such as hospitals, pharmacies and some restaurants can open.
Nova Scotia doesn't include Remembrance Day in its Labour Standards Code holiday list. A separate Remembrance Day Act gives some employees special treatment — for example, another paid day off if they're required to work on November 11. Check with Nova Scotia Labour Standards for how it applies to your job.
What employers need to know
- Follow the province where the employee works, not where your head office is. A national employer may owe holiday pay in Alberta but not Ontario.
- Federally regulated businesses owe Remembrance Day holiday pay in every province, including Ontario and Quebec.
- Remembrance Day falls on a Wednesday in 2026, so most full-time employees in paid-holiday provinces will be scheduled that day and eligible.
- Holiday pay counts as wages for vacation pay, CPP and EI.