Holidays

Statutory holidays are days designated by government to mark or commemorate a special occasion or event. Canada has several national statutory holidays and every province also has some designated statutory holidays. Employees who meet qualifying requirements are entitled to a paid holiday or, if they are required to work, extra wages for the day.

There are nine statutory holidays in Alberta:

• New Year's Day
• Family Day (3rd Monday of February)
• Good Friday
• Victoria Day
• Canada Day
• Labour Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Remembrance Day
• Christmas Day

Employees in Alberta do not have the right to refuse to work on a public holiday if their employer requests that they do so.

Eligibility

Employees are eligible for holiday pay if they:

• have worked for at least 30 days in the 12 months before the holiday
• worked their last scheduled shift before, and the first scheduled shift after, the holiday and
• have not refused to work on the general holiday when asked to do so.

Employees who have an irregular schedule are entitled to holiday pay, if in at least five of the nine weeks before the holiday, they worked on the same day of the week as the one on which the holiday falls.

Statutory Holiday Pay

If you work on a holiday that is normally a scheduled work day, you are entitled to receive either:

• your average daily wage plus 1.5 times the regular rate for each hour worked, or
• your regular wage plus another day off with pay.

If you work on a holiday that is not normally scheduled as a work day, you are entitled to receive 1.5 times your wage.

If you do not work on a holiday which is a regular working day, you are entitled to at least your average daily wage. The average daily wage is based on the days worked in the nine weeks preceding the holiday.

If you are paid entirely by commission or incentive based pay, the wage rate is deemed to be the minimum wage. If you are paid partly by commission or incentive-based pay, then the wage rate is deemed to be the greater of the salary component or the minimum wage.

An employee is entitled to at least his or her average daily wage if the holiday falls on a regular working day. The average daily wage is based on the days worked in the nine weeks - or, if less, the employee's period of employment - immediately preceding the general holiday.

If a general holiday occurs during your annual vacation, you must be given a holiday with pay on what would have been the first day back to work or on another day.

If a holiday falls on a non-working day other than a vacation day, you are not entitled to another day off.

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