Statutory Holidays in Ontario: Public Holiday Pay Guide for Employees

Most employees in Ontario are entitled to public holiday pay for nine statutory holidays each year under Ontario’s Employment Standards Act, 2000. There are nine statutory holidays in Ontario for most provincially regulated employees. Statutory holidays are also known as public holidays.

Most employees in Ontario are entitled to take the day off on a statutory holiday and receive statutory holiday pay. Employees who work on a statutory holiday may be entitled to statutory holiday pay plus premium pay, or they may receive regular wages for all hours worked on the public holiday plus a substitute holiday for which they must be paid public holiday pay.

Not being paid the correct statutory holiday pay and entitlements can be a violation of the Ontario Employment Standards Act. Employees should understand how statutory holiday pay works, especially if they work part-time, irregular hours, shifts, weekends, or in an industry with special public holiday rules.

If you are a federally regulated employee and live in Ontario, you may be entitled to federal public holidays. Federal public holidays and provincial public holidays are not always the same.

Ontario Statutory Holidays in 2026

In Ontario, there are nine public holidays that most provincially regulated employees need to know. It is an employer’s obligation to provide eligible employees with the appropriate statutory holiday entitlement and pay, as defined by Ontario’s Employment Standards Act.

Time off and compensation are applicable to the following statutory holidays in Ontario in 2026:

New Year’s Day: Thursday, January 1, 2026
Family Day: Monday, February 16, 2026
Good Friday: Friday, April 3, 2026
Victoria Day: Monday, May 18, 2026
Canada Day: Wednesday, July 1, 2026
Labour Day: Monday, September 7, 2026
Thanksgiving Day: Monday, October 12, 2026
Christmas Day: Friday, December 25, 2026
Boxing Day: Saturday, December 26, 2026

Employees should not assume that every holiday shown on a calendar is a statutory holiday. Some holidays are optional, some are employer-provided, and some apply only to federally regulated employees.

Ontario Statutory Holidays 2026 Table

Holiday	2026 Date	Is It a Statutory Holiday in Ontario?
New Year’s Day	Thursday, January 1, 2026	Yes
Family Day	Monday, February 16, 2026	Yes
Good Friday	Friday, April 3, 2026	Yes
Easter Monday	Monday, April 6, 2026	No
Victoria Day	Monday, May 18, 2026	Yes
Canada Day	Wednesday, July 1, 2026	Yes
Civic Holiday	Monday, August 3, 2026	No
Labour Day	Monday, September 7, 2026	Yes
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation	Wednesday, September 30, 2026	No, for most provincially regulated employees
Thanksgiving Day	Monday, October 12, 2026	Yes
Remembrance Day	Wednesday, November 11, 2026	No
Christmas Day	Friday, December 25, 2026	Yes
Boxing Day	Saturday, December 26, 2026	Yes

Employees in Ontario who are provincially regulated should be aware of the following:

Remembrance Day is not a statutory holiday for most provincially regulated employees in Ontario, although some employers still give employees the day off.
Civic Holiday, which falls on the first Monday in August, is an optional holiday. Provincially regulated employers are generally not required to give employees the day off, although many do.
Easter Monday is not a statutory holiday for most provincially regulated employees in Ontario.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is not currently a provincial statutory holiday in Ontario for most provincially regulated employees, but it is a federal general holiday for federally regulated employees.

Employers may choose to give employees a day off even if they are not required to. For instance, while Civic Holiday is not a statutory holiday in Ontario, many employers choose to provide it as a paid day off. Whether an employee is entitled to that day off may depend on their employment contract, workplace policy, or other enforceable agreement.

What Is a Statutory Holiday?

A statutory holiday is a public holiday recognized by law. In Ontario, statutory holidays are set out under the Employment Standards Act, 2000. Most employees who qualify are entitled to take the day off and receive public holiday pay.

Statutory holiday pay is different from vacation pay. Vacation pay relates to vacation time earned by an employee, while statutory holiday pay relates to specific public holidays recognized under employment standards legislation.

Federal Public Holidays for Federally Regulated Employees in Ontario

Federally regulated employees who live in Ontario are entitled to federal public holidays under the Canada Labour Code. Federal public holidays and provincial public holidays are not always the same.

Examples of federally regulated industries include:

Banks and financial institutions;
Airlines and airports;
Railways;
Interprovincial trucking and transportation companies;
Telecommunications companies;
Broadcasting companies; and
Certain federal Crown corporations.

The designated paid holidays for most federally regulated employees include:

New Year’s Day
Good Friday
Victoria Day
Canada Day
Labour Day
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Thanksgiving Day
Remembrance Day
Christmas Day
Boxing Day

This means that some holidays, including National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Remembrance Day, may apply to federally regulated employees even though they are not statutory holidays for most provincially regulated employees in Ontario.

What Is Statutory Holiday Pay or Public Holiday Pay?

Statutory Holiday Pay is the most common way employees refer to the pay they receive for a statutory holiday. Sometimes employees also use the term Public Holiday Pay.

Most Ontario employees are entitled to statutory holiday pay for the nine statutory holidays listed above. This is different from vacation pay. Check out Vacation Pay in Ontario: What You Need to Know for more information about vacation pay in Ontario.

Public holiday pay is intended to compensate employees for statutory holidays, even when they do not work on those days. Ontario’s public holiday rules apply to many employees, including full-time employees, part-time employees, shift workers, and employees with irregular schedules.

How Is Statutory Holiday Pay Calculated in Ontario?

Public holiday pay in Ontario is calculated using a statutory formula under the Employment Standards Act, 2000.

An employee’s public holiday pay is generally calculated by:

adding all regular wages earned in the four work weeks before the work week containing the public holiday; and
adding all vacation pay payable during that same four-work-week period;
then dividing the total by 20.

For example, if an employee earned $2,000 in regular wages during the four work weeks before the public holiday and had $80 in vacation pay payable during that period:

Regular wages: $2,000
Vacation pay payable: $80
Total: $2,080
$2,080 ÷ 20 = $104

In this example, the employee’s public holiday pay would be $104.

Do I Qualify for Statutory Holiday Pay or Public Holiday Pay?

Not all Ontario employees will receive public holiday pay. Whether an employee receives public holiday pay depends on whether they qualify under Ontario’s public holiday rules.

Generally, employees qualify for public holiday pay unless:

they fail to satisfy the “Last and First Rule”; or
they fail, without reasonable cause, to work the entire shift they agreed to work or were required to work on the public holiday.

What Is the Last and First Rule?

According to the Last and First Rule, an employee must generally work their last regularly scheduled day of work before the public holiday and their first regularly scheduled day of work after the public holiday.

In practical terms, an employee is usually expected to work:

their last scheduled shift before the public holiday; and
their first scheduled shift after the public holiday.

For example, if an employee normally works Monday to Friday and a public holiday falls on a Wednesday, the employee would generally need to work their scheduled shifts on Tuesday and Thursday to qualify for public holiday pay.

However, the rule is not always as simple as employers make it seem. Employees may still qualify for public holiday pay if they have reasonable cause for being absent. Every situation depends on the facts.

For example, illness, medical emergencies, family emergencies, or other legitimate circumstances may affect whether an employee should lose their public holiday entitlement.

Employees should not assume their employer is interpreting the legislation correctly simply because they were absent before or after a statutory holiday.

Even if an employee does not qualify for public holiday pay, they may still be entitled to premium pay for hours worked on the public holiday.

Do Part-Time Employees Get Statutory Holiday Pay in Ontario?

Yes. Many part-time employees qualify for public holiday pay in Ontario.

Employees are often surprised to learn that public holiday pay is not limited to full-time workers. Part-time employees, casual employees, and employees with irregular schedules may still qualify for public holiday pay if they meet the requirements under Ontario’s Employment Standards Act, 2000.

Employers should not automatically deny public holiday pay simply because an employee works part-time or does not have a fixed schedule.

What Is Premium Pay?

Premium pay is an employee’s entitlement to 1.5 times their regular rate of pay for every hour worked on a public holiday. Premium pay is intended to compensate employees who work on a statutory holiday instead of taking the day off.

For example:

John earns $20 per hour and is scheduled to work an eight-hour shift on Family Day. If it were an ordinary workday, John would earn:

$20 per hour × 8 hours = $160

However, because Family Day is a statutory holiday, John’s premium pay rate would be:

$20 × 1.5 = $30 per hour

His earnings for the shift would be:

$30 per hour × 8 hours = $240

Depending on the circumstances, John may also be entitled to public holiday pay in addition to premium pay.

What Happens If I Work on a Statutory Holiday?

Employees who work on a statutory holiday may be entitled to one of the following:

Public holiday pay plus premium pay for every hour worked on the public holiday; or
Regular wages for the hours worked plus a substitute holiday with public holiday pay.

The correct entitlement depends on the employee’s circumstances, whether there is a written agreement, the industry involved, and whether any special public holiday rules apply.

In many situations, employees who work on a public holiday will receive both public holiday pay and premium pay. However, employers and employees can sometimes agree to a substitute holiday arrangement instead.

Employees should carefully review their pay stubs and holiday arrangements to ensure they are receiving the correct compensation.

Can My Employer Make Me Work on a Statutory Holiday?

Whether an employer can require an employee to work on a statutory holiday depends on several factors, including:

the type of workplace;
the employee’s position;
the employee’s employment contract;
whether special public holiday rules apply; and
whether the workplace operates continuously.

Certain industries operate differently from traditional Monday-to-Friday workplaces and may require employees to work on public holidays.

Even where an employee is required to work on a statutory holiday, the employer must still provide the appropriate compensation under Ontario’s public holiday rules.

What Is a Substitute Holiday?

A substitute holiday is a working day that is designated to replace a public holiday.

On a substitute holiday, an employee is entitled to receive public holiday pay and take the day off work.

Substitute holidays are commonly used when:

an employee works on a public holiday;
a public holiday falls during an employee’s vacation; or
the employer and employee agree to an alternative public holiday arrangement.

In many situations, a substitute holiday must be taken within three months of the public holiday.

However, an employee and employer may agree in writing to schedule the substitute holiday up to 12 months after the public holiday.

If an employer chooses a substitute holiday arrangement, employees should ensure that the arrangement is properly documented and that they receive the public holiday pay they are entitled to receive.

Special Rules for Certain Industries: Hotels, Restaurants and More

Some industries and professions have special public holiday rules under Ontario’s Employment Standards Act.

These industries include:

Hotels, motels, and tourist resorts;
Restaurants and taverns;
Hospitals and nursing homes;
Continuous operations; and
Certain workplaces that cannot reasonably shut down for public holidays.

A continuous operation is an operation, or part of an operation, that does not stop or close more than once each week.

Examples may include:

Oil refineries;
Alarm-monitoring companies;
Certain manufacturing facilities;
Utility providers; and
Casino gaming operations that operate around the clock.

What Happens If an Employee in a Special Industry Misses a Public Holiday Shift?

If an employee in one of these industries is required to work on a statutory holiday and fails to do so with reasonable cause, they may still be entitled to:

public holiday pay; or
a substitute holiday with public holiday pay.

Similarly, if an employee has reasonable cause for working only part of their scheduled public holiday shift, they may still be entitled to compensation under Ontario’s public holiday rules.

The employer may determine whether the employee receives:

public holiday pay plus premium pay; or
regular wages plus a substitute holiday with public holiday pay.

What Happens If an Employee Misses a Public Holiday Shift Without Reasonable Cause?

Different rules may apply if an employee in one of these industries fails to work a required public holiday shift without reasonable cause.

In those situations, the employee may lose their entitlement to:

public holiday pay; and
a substitute holiday.

Instead, they may only be entitled to premium pay for hours actually worked on the public holiday.

Because these rules can be complicated, employees should seek advice if they believe their employer has incorrectly denied public holiday compensation.

Religious Accommodation and Public Holidays

Public holiday obligations may also be affected by an employee’s religious beliefs and observances.

Ontario employers have obligations under the Human Rights Code to accommodate employees on the basis of creed and religion to the point of undue hardship.

If an employee requires time off for a religious observance that does not fall on a statutory holiday, they may still have rights that should be discussed with their employer.

Employees should not assume that statutory holiday rules are the only workplace protections available when religious observances are involved.

Common Public Holiday Pay Violations

Employees should be cautious if their employer:

Claims that part-time employees are not entitled to public holiday pay;
Fails to include vacation pay when calculating public holiday pay;
Pays regular wages instead of premium pay when employees work on a public holiday;
Refuses to provide a substitute holiday when one is required;
Deducts public holiday pay without a valid reason;
Incorrectly applies the Last and First Rule;
Fails to compensate employees for earned substitute holidays; or
Fails to pay public holiday pay after termination.

Employees often assume their employer’s payroll department is calculating holiday pay correctly. However, mistakes can occur, especially where employees work part-time, irregular schedules, overtime, commissions, bonuses, or shift work.

If you believe your public holiday pay was calculated incorrectly, consider reviewing your pay records and seeking legal advice.

Employees Should Receive Holiday Pay When Terminated

Upon termination, an employer must provide employees with any public holiday pay they are owed.

For example, if an employee was entitled to a substitute holiday but was terminated before they could take that substitute holiday, the employer may still be required to compensate the employee.

Similarly, if an employee earned public holiday pay before termination but it was not paid, the employer may remain responsible for that payment.

Public holiday pay is often only one component of an employee’s termination entitlements.

Depending on the circumstances, an employee may also be entitled to:

Termination pay;
Severance pay;
Benefits continuation;
Vacation pay;
Bonuses and commissions; and
Common law reasonable notice.

Employees should be cautious before accepting a termination package. In many cases, employees may be entitled to substantially more compensation than their employer initially offers.

The following are some of the most common questions employees ask about statutory holidays and public holiday pay in Ontario.

Frequently Asked Questions About Statutory Holidays in Ontario

What are the statutory holidays in Ontario?

The nine statutory holidays in Ontario are:

New Year’s Day
Family Day
Good Friday
Victoria Day
Canada Day
Labour Day
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day
Boxing Day

Are statutory holidays paid in Ontario?

Most employees who qualify are entitled to public holiday pay. Employees who work on a statutory holiday may also be entitled to premium pay, a substitute holiday, or both, depending on the circumstances.

How many statutory holidays are there in Ontario?

There are nine statutory holidays in Ontario for most provincially regulated employees.

Do part-time employees get statutory holiday pay in Ontario?

Yes. Many part-time employees qualify for public holiday pay in Ontario. Employers should not deny public holiday pay simply because an employee works part-time.

Is Good Friday a statutory holiday in Ontario?

Yes. Good Friday is one of Ontario’s nine statutory holidays.

Is Easter Monday a statutory holiday in Ontario?

No. Easter Monday is not a statutory holiday for most provincially regulated employees in Ontario.

Is Civic Holiday a statutory holiday in Ontario?

No. Civic Holiday is not a statutory holiday under Ontario’s Employment Standards Act. However, many employers choose to provide employees with the day off.

Is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation a statutory holiday in Ontario?

For most provincially regulated employees, no. However, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a federal general holiday and applies to many federally regulated employees.

Is Remembrance Day a statutory holiday in Ontario?

No. Remembrance Day is not a statutory holiday for most provincially regulated employees in Ontario.

Is Boxing Day a statutory holiday in Ontario?

Yes. Boxing Day is one of Ontario’s nine statutory holidays under the Employment Standards Act, 2000. Eligible employees are generally entitled to public holiday pay and may be entitled to additional compensation if they work on Boxing Day.

Can my employer make me work on a statutory holiday?

In some industries and workplaces, employees may be required to work on a statutory holiday. If you work on a public holiday, you may still be entitled to public holiday pay, premium pay, a substitute holiday, or other compensation.

What should I do if my employer did not pay me for a statutory holiday?

If you believe your employer improperly denied or underpaid your public holiday pay, review your pay records, employment contract, and workplace policies. You may also wish to speak with an employment lawyer to understand your rights.

Related Employment Law Resources

Speak to an Employment Lawyer

If you believe you have been wrongfully denied statutory holiday pay in Ontario, consider speaking with an employment lawyer.

The lawyers at Monkhouse Law Employment Lawyers have experience pursuing unpaid wages, underpaid holiday pay, termination entitlements, severance claims, and employee class actions. We can help ensure you do not miss out on any of your legal entitlements.

Navigating workplace issues can be challenging. At Monkhouse Law Employment Lawyers, we offer clear, practical legal advice to help non-unionized employees understand their rights and make informed decisions.

Contact Monkhouse Law Employment Lawyers today for a free 30-minute phone consultation.