Is Thanksgiving a stat holiday?
Thanksgiving is on Monday, October 12, 2026. It is a paid statutory holiday in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, and for federally regulated workers like bank, airline and telecom employees.
Thanksgiving is not a paid holiday under employment standards in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island or Newfoundland and Labrador. Employers there can still give the day off, but they don't have to pay holiday pay.
If you qualify and take the day off, you get holiday pay — roughly an average day's wages. If you work, most provinces pay 1.5× for the hours worked on top of that. Use our stat holiday pay calculator to work out your exact amount.
Thanksgiving stat holiday by province (2026)
Here is whether Thanksgiving is a paid holiday where you work, how holiday pay is calculated, and what you get if you work that day.
| Province / territory | Paid holiday? | Holiday pay | If you work Thanksgiving |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | Yes | (Wages + vacation pay, last 4 work weeks) ÷ 20 | 1.5× + holiday pay, or regular pay + substitute day off |
| Quebec | Yes | Wages from 4 complete weeks before ÷ 20 | Regular pay + holiday indemnity, or a compensatory day off |
| British Columbia | Yes | Wages in last 30 days ÷ days worked | 1.5× (2× after 12 hrs) + holiday pay |
| Alberta | Yes | Wages in last 4 weeks ÷ days worked | 1.5× + holiday pay, or regular pay + another day off |
| Saskatchewan | Yes | 5% of wages in last 4 weeks | 1.5× + holiday pay |
| Manitoba | Yes | Regular day's pay (5% of 4 weeks if hours vary) | 1.5× + holiday pay |
| Yukon | Yes | Regular day's pay | 1.5× + regular day's pay |
| Northwest Territories | Yes | Wages in last 4 weeks ÷ days worked | 1.5× + holiday pay |
| Nunavut | Yes | Regular day's pay | 1.5× + regular day's pay |
| Federal (banks, airlines, telecom) | Yes | 1/20 of wages in last 4 weeks | 1.5× + holiday pay |
| Nova Scotia | No | — | Regular pay (retail closing day) |
| New Brunswick | No | — | Regular pay |
| Prince Edward Island | No | — | Regular pay |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | No | — | Regular pay |
These are the employment standards minimums. Your employment contract or collective agreement can give you more, but never less.
How to calculate Thanksgiving stat pay in Ontario
Ontario's public holiday pay formula is: regular wages earned in the four work weeks before the week of the holiday, plus vacation pay payable for those weeks, divided by 20. Overtime and premium pay are left out.
Example: you earn $20 an hour, work 40 hours a week and get 4% vacation pay on each cheque.
| Step | Amount |
|---|---|
| Wages in the 4 work weeks before (160 hours × $20) | $3,200.00 |
| Vacation pay for those weeks (4%) | $128.00 |
| Total ÷ 20 = Thanksgiving holiday pay | $166.40 |
| If you work 8 hours: 8 × $20 × 1.5 | $240.00 |
| Total if you work Thanksgiving | $406.40 |
Instead of premium pay, your employer can pay your regular rate for the hours worked and give you a substitute day off with holiday pay — but you must agree to it in writing.
At Ontario's new $17.95 minimum wage (full-time, with 4% vacation pay), Thanksgiving holiday pay is about $149.34. Working an 8-hour shift adds $215.40, for $364.74 in total. See our guide to the new minimum wage in Ontario.
To qualify in Ontario you don't need a minimum length of employment, but you must work your last scheduled shift before Thanksgiving and your first scheduled shift after it, unless you have a reasonable cause for missing one.
Thanksgiving holiday pay in BC
BC pays an average day's pay: wages earned in the 30 calendar days before the holiday, divided by the number of days you worked. You qualify if you've been employed for 30 days and earned pay on at least 15 of the 30 days before Thanksgiving.
Example: you earn $25 an hour and worked 20 eight-hour days in the last 30 days, for $4,000.00. Your holiday pay is $4,000.00 ÷ 20 days = $200.00. If you work 8 hours on Thanksgiving, you also get $300.00 (1.5×), for $500.00 in total. Hours past 12 are paid at double time.
Quebec, Alberta and the Prairies
Quebec: Thanksgiving (Action de grâce) is a statutory holiday. The holiday indemnity is 1/20 of the wages you earned in the four complete weeks before the week of the holiday, not counting overtime. If you work, you're paid for the hours worked plus the indemnity, or your employer gives you a compensatory day off.
Alberta: holiday pay is your average daily wage — wages in the four weeks before divided by the days you worked. You need 30 days of employment in the past year, and if Thanksgiving falls on a day you would not normally work, you may not be owed holiday pay. Working it earns 1.5× plus holiday pay, or regular pay plus another paid day off.
Saskatchewan and Manitoba: holiday pay is 5% of your wages from the four weeks before (Manitoba pays a regular day's pay if your hours are regular). Working Thanksgiving earns 1.5× plus holiday pay.
Why Thanksgiving isn't a stat holiday in Atlantic Canada
Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, PEI and Newfoundland and Labrador don't include Thanksgiving in their employment standards holiday lists. If you work in one of these provinces, your employer doesn't have to give you the day off or pay you holiday pay — although many do, and some union contracts require it.
In Nova Scotia, Thanksgiving is a retail closing day, so many stores must close even though staff aren't owed holiday pay. Federally regulated workers in Atlantic Canada, such as bank employees, still get Thanksgiving as a paid holiday under the Canada Labour Code.
Next stat holidays after Thanksgiving
- Remembrance Day — Wednesday, November 11, 2026: a paid holiday in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, PEI, Newfoundland and Labrador, the three territories and federally regulated workplaces. It is not a paid public holiday in Ontario, Quebec or Manitoba.
- Christmas Day — Friday, December 25, 2026: a paid holiday everywhere in Canada.
- Boxing Day — Saturday, December 26, 2026: a paid holiday in Ontario and for federally regulated workers. Because it falls on a Saturday, if you don't normally work Saturdays your employer must give you another paid day off.