By Amir Ansari, RCIC (R709304), Ansari Immigration, Vancouver. Reviewed October 2026.
There are 11 statutory holidays in BC under the Employment Standards Act, from New Year's Day to Christmas Day, and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (September 30) is now one of them. To be paid for a statutory holiday, you must have been employed 30 calendar days and have earned wages on 15 of the 30 days before it.
Getting this wrong costs real money, in both directions. A newcomer who assumes Boxing Day is a paid day off in BC (it is in Ontario, and it is for federally regulated jobs) can be surprised by a normal paycheque, and a part-time worker who assumes they do not qualify can miss stat pay they are actually owed. The rules below come straight from the BC government's Employment Standards pages, with the exact dates for 2026 and 2027.
How many statutory holidays are there in BC?
There are 11 statutory holidays in BC. That number is worth stating plainly, because you will still see the figure 10 in older references, and even in the behind-the-scenes summary text on the BC government's own page, a leftover from before the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was added. The governing count is 11. The authority is the Employment Standards Act: the government's Part 5, Section 44 interpretation guidance states that there are 11 named statutory holidays under the section 1 definition of the Act, and the official year-by-year tables for 2024 through 2027 list all 11. Where an out-of-date figure and the governing definition disagree, the Act controls, so the correct count is 11.
The one that moves the count from 10 to 11 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30. It is a genuine point of confusion because it arrived recently and because the rules differ by employer type, which is covered further down. For a provincially regulated employee in BC, which is most people working for a BC business, September 30 is a statutory holiday under the Act.
The 11 statutory holidays in BC are New Year's Day, Family Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, BC Day, Labour Day, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Thanksgiving Day, Remembrance Day, and Christmas Day.
The full list of statutory holidays in BC: 2026 and 2027 dates
Several BC statutory holidays fall on a fixed date (Canada Day is always July 1, Remembrance Day always November 11, Christmas always December 25), while others move to a set weekday each year. Family Day in BC is the third Monday in February, BC Day is the first Monday in August, Labour Day is the first Monday in September, and Thanksgiving is the second Monday in October. Here are the exact dates for the next two years, taken from the BC government's statutory holidays page.
Statutory holiday |
2026 date |
2027 date |
New Year's Day |
Thursday, January 1 |
Friday, January 1 |
Family Day |
Monday, February 16 |
Monday, February 15 |
Good Friday |
Friday, April 3 |
Friday, March 26 |
Victoria Day |
Monday, May 18 |
Monday, May 24 |
Canada Day |
Wednesday, July 1 |
Thursday, July 1 |
BC Day |
Monday, August 3 |
Monday, August 2 |
Labour Day |
Monday, September 7 |
Monday, September 6 |
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation |
Wednesday, September 30 |
Thursday, September 30 |
Thanksgiving Day |
Monday, October 12 |
Monday, October 11 |
Remembrance Day |
Wednesday, November 11 |
Thursday, November 11 |
Christmas Day |
Friday, December 25 |
Saturday, December 25 |
Source: Government of British Columbia, Employment Standards, Statutory holidays. Verified October 2026.
A practical note for newcomers planning around long weekends: when a fixed-date holiday like Canada Day or Christmas lands midweek, BC does not automatically give you a different Monday off. Your employer can agree in writing to substitute another day, but that is an agreement, not an automatic right.
Which days are NOT statutory holidays in BC
This is where people coming from other provinces or other countries get caught. The BC government states directly that "Easter Sunday, Easter Monday and Boxing Day are not statutory holidays in B.C." Good Friday is a statutory holiday, but the Monday after Easter is a normal working day, and December 26 is a normal working day for most BC employees even though many stores run Boxing Day sales.
Boxing Day is the clearest trap. It is a statutory holiday in Ontario, and it is a general holiday for federally regulated workers across Canada, so a newcomer who worked a bank or airline job, or who lived in Ontario first, often assumes December 26 is paid everywhere. For a provincially regulated job in BC, it is not.
A few other days that feel like holidays are also not statutory holidays in BC: Easter Sunday, Easter Monday, and days such as the first day of school or retail holidays. None of these trigger statutory holiday pay. When a day is not on the list of 11, your employer is not required by the Employment Standards Act to pay statutory holiday pay or a premium for working it, though an individual contract or collective agreement can always offer more than the legal minimum.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is the mirror-image case: many people assume it is not a paid holiday in BC because it was not for years, but as covered above, it now is for provincially regulated employees.
Did a day you expected to be a paid holiday in BC turn out not to be one? Tell us which day caught you out in the comments, it helps other newcomers planning their year.
Who qualifies for statutory holiday pay in BC
Not everyone who works in BC is automatically entitled to statutory holiday pay. The Employment Standards Act sets two conditions, and you must meet both. The BC government states you qualify if you:
Have been employed for 30 calendar days before the statutory holiday, and
Have worked or earned wages (which includes paid vacation days or another statutory holiday) on 15 of the 30 days before the statutory holiday.
The most important correction here is for part-time, casual, and newly hired workers who assume they are shut out. BC does not require you to work the scheduled shift immediately before and immediately after the holiday. The government page says plainly that this is not the case in B.C. The test is the 15-of-30-days count, not the day before and the day after, so a part-time worker with a steady schedule can easily qualify.
There are genuine exceptions. The Employment Standards Regulation lists groups who do not receive statutory holiday pay, including managers, certain farm workers, fishers, high technology professionals, silviculture workers, some commission-paid and vehicle sales employees, and nursing students and volunteer firefighters. If you fall into one of those categories and you work on a statutory holiday, you are generally paid your regular wages for the day. If you are unsure whether your role is excluded, the category definitions in the Regulation are specific, and a job title alone does not decide it.
Not sure whether your role qualifies, or whether your work permit changes any of this? That is a 30-minute question you can put directly to Ansari Immigration's licensed RCIC.
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How statutory holiday pay is calculated in BC
If you qualify and the statutory holiday is a day you would normally have off, you are paid an average day's pay. BC's formula is simple and official: total wages divided by the number of days worked equals your average day's pay. The period is the 30 calendar days before the statutory holiday.
For the calculation, you include regular wages, salary, commission, any statutory holiday pay, paid vacation days, and paid sick days required by employment standards. You do not include overtime. Every day on which you earned wages counts as a day worked, including paid vacation and other paid statutory holidays inside that 30-day window.
Here is a worked example using the government's own figure. Say your total included wages over the 30 calendar days before the holiday are $3,000 and you worked 20 of those days. Your average day's pay is $3,000 divided by 20, which is $150. If the holiday is a day off, you are paid $150 for it.
Now a newcomer scenario. Priya starts a part-time retail job in Burnaby on April 1 and works three shifts a week. By the time Victoria Day arrives on May 18, she has been employed more than 30 calendar days and has earned wages on about 21 of the 30 days before the holiday, so she passes both tests and qualifies. Her included wages in that 30-day window are $1,800 over 12 days worked, so her average day's pay is $1,800 divided by 12, which is $150. Because she does not work on Victoria Day, she is paid $150 of statutory holiday pay on top of her regular earnings for the period.
What happens if you work on a statutory holiday in BC
Working the holiday changes the math. If you qualify for statutory holiday pay and you work on the statutory holiday, BC requires your employer to pay time-and-a-half for the first 12 hours worked, and double-time for any hours beyond 12, plus an average day's pay on top.
The government's example makes it concrete. Using an average day's pay of $150: if you do not work, you get $150; if you work 7 hours, you get time-and-a-half for those 7 hours plus $150; if you work 14 hours, you get time-and-a-half for the first 12 hours, double-time for the extra 2 hours, and $150 on top. The average day's pay is in addition to the hours you actually worked, not instead of them.
If you do not qualify for statutory holiday pay (for example, you have not yet hit the 30-day mark, or your role is excluded under the Regulation) and you work that day, you are paid your regular wages for the hours worked, with no premium and no average day's pay. This is the single most common surprise for new arrivals in their first month on the job: the holiday premiums only switch on once you clear the eligibility tests.
Statutory holidays in BC for federally regulated jobs
Here is the distinction almost every generic BC holidays article skips, and it matters a great deal to newcomers in specific industries. The list of 11 above is the provincial list under BC's Employment Standards Act. If you work in a federally regulated industry, a different list applies, set by the Canada Labour Code.
Federally regulated workers include employees of banks, airlines and air transport, interprovincial and international trucking and rail, telecommunications and broadcasting, ports, and the federal public service. Many newcomers land exactly these jobs, so this is not an edge case.
Federally regulated employees get 10 general holidays: New Year's Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Thanksgiving Day, Remembrance Day, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day. The practical differences from BC's provincial list are that federally regulated workers do get Boxing Day as a holiday but do not get Family Day or BC Day, which are provincial creations. So two neighbours in Vancouver can have genuinely different paid holidays depending on who they work for.
If you are not sure which set applies to you, the rule of thumb is the nature of the business, not the location: a teller at a national bank in Richmond follows the federal list, while a server at a Richmond restaurant follows the BC list.
What statutory holidays in BC mean for newcomers and your immigration status
Employment standards in BC, including statutory holiday pay, apply based on where and for whom you work, not on your immigration status. A worker in BC on a valid work permit has the same statutory holiday rights under the Employment Standards Act as a permanent resident or citizen doing the same job. Being new to Canada, being on probation, or holding a temporary status does not remove the 30-day and 15-of-30 entitlement.
This matters for two reasons beyond the paycheque. First, understanding your own pay stub is part of settling in, and stat holiday pay is one of the lines newcomers most often question. Second, the Canadian work you do on a work permit is the same work that can later count toward permanent residence through the Canadian Experience Class and other Express Entry pathways, so keeping accurate records of your hours, pay, and employer is a habit worth building from day one. If you are weighing a job offer, comparing take-home pay, or planning your path from a work permit to PR, the local picture is in our guides on the average salary in Vancouver and the cost of living in Vancouver, and the immigration side is covered in our work permit and permanent residence resources.
A newcomer who suspects their employer is not paying statutory holiday pay correctly can contact the BC Employment Standards Branch, which enforces the Act. That is an employment matter rather than an immigration one, but if a pay or work issue overlaps with your permit conditions or your PR plans, that is exactly the kind of situation where a short consultation saves a lot of guessing.
Frequently asked questions about statutory holidays in BC
How many statutory holidays are there in BC?
There are 11 statutory holidays in BC under the Employment Standards Act, including the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, even though you will still see an out-of-date figure of 10 in some places. The 11 run from New Year's Day through Christmas Day, with Family Day, BC Day, and Truth and Reconciliation among them.
Is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation a statutory holiday in BC?
Yes, September 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, is a statutory holiday in BC for provincially regulated employees under the Employment Standards Act, and it is also a general holiday for federally regulated workers. It appears in the Act's section 1 definition and in the government's official 2024 to 2027 date tables.
Is Boxing Day a statutory holiday in BC?
No, Boxing Day (December 26) is not a statutory holiday in BC under the Employment Standards Act, even though it is one in Ontario and a general holiday for federally regulated jobs. Most BC employees are not entitled to statutory holiday pay for December 26 unless their contract or collective agreement provides it.
Is Easter Monday a statutory holiday in BC?
No, Easter Monday is not a statutory holiday in BC, and neither is Easter Sunday. Good Friday is the only Easter-related statutory holiday in BC, so the Monday after Easter is a normal working day unless your employer chooses to offer it as a paid day.
Who is eligible for statutory holiday pay in BC?
You are eligible for statutory holiday pay in BC if you have been employed 30 calendar days and have worked or earned wages on 15 of the 30 days before the holiday. BC does not require you to work the shift right before and right after the holiday, so many part-time and casual workers qualify.
How is statutory holiday pay calculated in BC?
Statutory holiday pay in BC is an average day's pay, calculated as your total wages divided by the number of days worked in the 30 calendar days before the holiday. You include regular wages, commission, paid vacation, and paid sick days, but you exclude overtime, so $3,000 over 20 days worked equals a $150 average day's pay.
What happens if I work on a statutory holiday in BC?
If you qualify and work on a statutory holiday in BC, you are paid time-and-a-half for the first 12 hours and double-time beyond 12 hours, plus an average day's pay on top. If you do not qualify for statutory holiday pay, you are paid only your regular wages for the hours you work that day.
Related Posts
Average Salary in Vancouver: What Newcomers Really Earn in BC (2026): What newcomers actually earn across common Metro Vancouver jobs, useful for reading your own pay against the local market.
Cost of Living in Vancouver: A 2026 Breakdown for Newcomers: A realistic monthly budget for Metro Vancouver so your take-home pay and holiday pay stretch as far as you expect.
CRA Benefit Payment Dates 2026: GST/HST Credit, CCB, and What Newcomers Need to Know: The federal benefit payments many newcomer families qualify for, and when they land.
Three signs your work situation in BC is worth a professional read: you are not sure whether your role is excluded from statutory holiday pay under the Regulation, you are unsure how your pay or hours affect a work permit renewal, or you are planning a move from a work permit to permanent residence and want your Canadian work experience documented correctly. Any one of these is exactly what Ansari Immigration's licensed RCIC untangles, honestly, in a 30-minute consultation ($80). You get a straight answer from the consultant who would handle your file, with a reply within one business day, not a sales pitch. Have a statutory holiday pay or workplace question others would find useful? Ask it in the comments, we read every one, and keep it general since specific cases belong in a consultation.
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This article is for general information only. It is not legal advice. Program criteria, requirements, processing times, and selection approaches can change without notice. Always confirm details on official government websites or consult a licensed Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) for advice specific to your situation.