COMMON RULES for Public Holidays

in Ontario

By Angela Beal HRS Group (705) 749-1259

There appears to be some confusion about statutory holidays for some employers. This may have been caused by Christmas and New Years Day falling on the weekend this past season. Therefore, I thought it a good idea to talk about some of the rules that apply to most Ontario workers. Aside from some workers being required due to their jobs and work on holidays, most of us are fortunate enough to have the time off with pay.

The Holidays that are to be paid are as follows:

New Years Day – Sun, January 1, 2023

Labour Day – Mon, September 4, 2023

Family Day – Mon, February 20, 2023

Thanksgiving – Mon, October 9, 2023

Good Friday – Fri, April 7, 2023

Christmas Day – Mon, December 25, 2023

Victoria Day – Mon, May 22, 2023

Boxing Day – Tues, December 26, 2023

July 1 st – Sat, July 1, 2023

A day off in lieu must be given if they are worked, or are on a non-working day. Other Holidays

Not Considered Statutory are:

Easter Monday – Mon, April 10, 2023

Civic Holiday – Mon, August 7, 2023

Remembrance Day – Sat, November 11, 2023

The Newest One is the Day of Reconciliation to be observed on Sat, September 30, 2023.

Christmas and New Years Day both fell on Sunday, this past season. Although many workers normally have the weekend off, that did not give the employer a pass. The holidays should have been given and paid the next normal workday, in this case it should have been the Monday and Tuesday for Christmas and Boxing Day, and Monday for New Years Day.

There is also a rule for employers that if the worker does not report for work, without permission, the scheduled day before and/or the scheduled day after the holiday they do not have to pay the worker for the statutory holiday. Be very careful though, the wording is scheduled day, so if they are not scheduled the actual day before or after that also doesn’t give the employer a pass.

There are calculations for paying people statuary holiday pay, for anyone who doesn’t work a regular shift each week. For more information concerning statuary public holidays and proper payments, go to www.ontario.ca and search Public Holidays.

For more information about Occupational Health and Safety, call our professional team.