{"id":5263,"date":"2024-01-02T14:07:41","date_gmt":"2024-01-02T19:07:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging-citation-canada.hrdownloads.com\/?p=5263"},"modified":"2024-02-15T08:04:48","modified_gmt":"2024-02-15T13:04:48","slug":"employers-guide-to-ontario-public-holidays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging-site.citationcanada.com\/fr\/blog\/article\/employers-guide-to-ontario-public-holidays\/","title":{"rendered":"An Employers Guide to Ontario Public Holidays 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Each year, businesses must recognize legislated days throughout the year, commonly known as public holidays. Typically, recognition takes the form of the business closing for the day and employees receiving public holiday pay. Despite this practice recurring every year, public holidays still prompt questions for businesses of all sizes and in all industries. Below is our Employers Guide to Ontario Public Holidays to help make the process easier.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the public holidays for Ontario in 2024?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In Ontario, businesses must recognize nine public holidays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Required Public Holidays Chart 2024: <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Public Holiday<\/th>Date<\/th>Weekday<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
New Year’s Day<\/td>January 1, 2024<\/td>Monday<\/td><\/tr>
Family Day<\/td>February 19, 2024<\/td>Monday<\/td><\/tr>
Good Friday<\/td>March 29, 2024<\/td>Friday<\/td><\/tr>
Victoria Day<\/td>May 20, 2024<\/td>Monday<\/td><\/tr>
Canada Day<\/td>July 1, 2024<\/td>Monday<\/td><\/tr>
Labour Day<\/td>September 2, 2024<\/td>Monday<\/td><\/tr>
Thanksgiving Day<\/td>October 14, 2024<\/td>Monday<\/td><\/tr>
Christmas Day<\/td>December 25, 2024<\/td>Wednesday<\/td><\/tr>
Boxing Day<\/td>December 26, 2024<\/td>Thursday<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Required Public Holidays Chart 2025: <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Public Holiday<\/th>Date<\/th>Weekday<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
New Year’s Day<\/td>January 1, 2025<\/td>Wednesday<\/td><\/tr>
Family Day<\/td>February 17, 2025<\/td>Monday<\/td><\/tr>
Good Friday<\/td>April 18, 2025<\/td>Friday<\/td><\/tr>
Victoria Day<\/td>May 19, 2025<\/td>Monday<\/td><\/tr>
Canada Day<\/td>July 1, 2025<\/td>Tuesday<\/td><\/tr>
Labour Day<\/td>September 1, 2025<\/td>Monday<\/td><\/tr>
Thanksgiving Day<\/td>October 13, 2025<\/td>Monday<\/td><\/tr>
Christmas Day<\/td>December 25, 2025<\/td>Thursday<\/td><\/tr>
Boxing Day<\/td>December 26, 202<\/td>Friday<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Other typically observed \u201cholidays\u201d like the August civic holiday (August 5, 2024), National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (September 30,2024), Remembrance Day (Nov 11, 2024), and Easter Monday are not required<\/span> public holidays in Ontario. They are observed at an employer\u2019s discretion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is everyone entitled to public holidays?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most employees are entitled to take these days off and be paid public holiday pay. This includes salaried, seasonal, contract, casual, and part-time employees. Some employees may be required to work on public holidays, while some employees may work in jobs that are exempted from public holiday provisions. To determine whether special rules apply, refer to the Employment Standards Act, 2000<\/em> or the government document \u201cIndustries and jobs with exemptions or special rules.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the last and first rule?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The last and first rule is the requirement for an employee to work their last regularly scheduled day before<\/span> the holiday and the first regularly scheduled day after<\/span> the holiday to be eligible for holiday pay unless they have a reasonable cause for missing either of these workdays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tips for applying the last and first rule:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • It is critical to remember the word \u201cscheduled.\u201d<\/span> For example, if an employee takes a job-protected leave, then their last regularly scheduled day would be their last day at work and their first regularly scheduled day would be the day they are expected back from the leave. Another common example would be a part-time worker who only works Tuesday to Thursday; their last regularly scheduled day would be the last shift they were scheduled to worked before the holiday and the first shift they are scheduled to work after the holiday.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • If the employee fails to meet this requirement without<\/span> reasonable cause, then they are not entitled to public holiday pay. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Reasonable cause may include circumstances or situations that are beyond the employee\u2019s control and prevent them from working or staying at work, a manager approving the employee leaving early or arriving late, or unplanned emergencies, accidents, and injuries that prevent the employee from coming into work. If the employee has reasonable cause, they are still entitled to holiday pay.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    How do you calculate public holiday pay?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    An employee\u2019s entitlement to holiday pay is calculated from the total amount of regular wages earned in the four work weeks before the week of the public holiday, including vacation pay payable in those four weeks, divided by 20.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n