For most employees in Canada, the statutory (legally-mandated) holidays they receive will depend on their province or territory of residence.
Federally-regulated employers, which include the federal government and employers in certain sectors, must follow the federal holiday calendar, while all other employers must follow the holiday calendar of their province or territory.
Subscribe and get our Newcomer’s Guide to Canada
If you live and work in Ontario, you can expect the following paid holidays in 2025:
| Holiday | Date Observed |
| New Year’s Day | Wednesday, January 1 |
| Family Day | Monday, February 17 |
| Good Friday | Friday, April 18 |
| Victoria Day | Monday, May 19 |
| Canada Day | Tuesday, July 1 |
| Labour Day | Monday, September 1 |
| Thanksgiving | Monday, October 13 |
| Christmas | Thursday, December 25 |
| Boxing Day | Friday, December 25 |
That adds up to a total of nine paid days off in the year.
Public holiday entitlement and compensation in Ontario
Employees in Ontario who qualify are entitled to take these days off work and be paid.
If they are required to work on these days, they must
- be compensated with public holiday pay plus premium pay for all hours worked on the public holiday; or
- be paid their regular wages for all hours worked on the public holiday and receive a substitute paid day off.
Commonly observed non-statutory holidays in Ontario
There are several holidays in Ontario that are commonly observed as a day off work but not statutorily mandated at the provincial level.
Some employers may choose to provide paid days off to their employees for these days, while others will not.
These include the following:
| Holiday | Date Observed |
| Easter Monday | Monday, April 24 |
| Civil holiday | Monday, August 4 |
| Remembrance Day | Tuesday, November 21 |
Cultural holidays not commonly observed as a day off work
People in Ontario commonly celebrate several cultural holidays, which have activities associated with them, but which are not commonly observed as paid days off work.
If you live in Ontario, you can expect to see people celebrating the following holidays, on which businesses will typically operate as normal:
| Day | Date Observed | Purpose | Typical Activities |
| St Patrick’s Day | March 17 | Global celebration of Irish culture | Wearing green, attending parties, going out to pubs |
| Groundhog Day | February 2 | A tradition marking the unofficial beginning of spring | Crafts, baking with family |
| Pride | Throughout June | Raising awareness about the challenges faced by the LGBTQA+ community while promoting inclusivity | Pride parade, wearing rainbow colours |
| National Indigenous Peoples Day | June 21 | Honouring the culture and contributions of Indigenous peoples across Canada | Learning about Indigenous history and cultural traditions |
| National Day of Truth and Reconciliation
(also known as Orange Shirt Day) |
September 30 | To honour residential school survivors and acknowledge the impact of these institutions | Wearing orange shirts, learning about Indigenous history and culture, attending talks, and other local events. |
| Halloween | October 31 | Celebrating all things spooky and scary | Trick or treating, dressing up in costumes, attending Halloween parties |
Many newcomers and native-born Canadians celebrate additional religious and cultural festivals in Canada as well.
*This list is not meant to be comprehensive.
What’s closed in Ontario on statutory holidays?
As employees take time off on statutory holidays, numerous services and businesses across the province remain closed on statutory holidays, while others are open for altered or reduced hours.
This includes the following:
- Government offices (such as Canada Revenue Agency and Service Canada): closed
- Banks: closed
- Schools: many observe a break during the last week of December and the first few days of January.
- Municipal services: Closed
- Canada Post: Closed or working reduced hours
- Liquor Board of Ontario (LCBO): While mostly closed on statutory holidays, select outlets may be open on select days.
- Grocery stores: Closed or working reduced hours. Certain convenience stores such as Rabba Fine Foods and pharmacy chains like Shoppers Drug Mart may remain open.
- Non-emergency healthcare services: Some doctor’s offices, pharmacies, dental clinics, etc may be closed or operate under reduced work hours.
In some areas of the world, such as the United States, it is common for most retail stores to be open during major holidays, and residents might plan to go shopping on their day off.
In Ontario, and across the rest of Canada, you can expect the majority of businesses to be closed on statutory holidays.
Which holiday falls on which day?
Some statutory public holidays – like Christmas and New Year’s Day – fall on the same calendar day each year, so they won’t always take place on the same day of the week.
| Holiday | Calendar Day Observed |
| New Year’s Day | January 1 |
| Canada Day | July 1 |
| Christmas | December 25 |
| Boxing Day | December 26 |
If one of these holidays falls on a non-working day for an employee, such as a weekend, it is typically observed on the next working day (e.g. Monday for a holiday that falls on Saturday or Sunday).
Legislation also allows for the holiday to be observed on the last working day prior to the holiday.
Other holidays are set for a particular day of the week (usually Monday), around a certain time of the month.
| Holiday | Calendar Day Observed |
| Family Day | Third Monday of February |
| Good Friday | Friday before Easter Sunday |
| Victoria Day | Last Monday before or on May 24 |
| Labour Day | First Monday in September |
| Thanksgiving | Second Monday in October |
Which days are grocery stores typically open or closed in Ontario?
Grocery stores closures are outlined by Ontario’s Retail Business Holidays Act, which dictates that most stores must close on certain holidays.
As a ground rule, here is a look on which days grocery stores might be open or closed.
- New Year’s Day – closed
- Family Day – closed
- Good Friday – closed
- Easter – closed
- Victoria Day – closed
- Canada Day – closed
- Labour Day – closed
- Thanksgiving – closed
- Christmas – closed
- Boxing Day – open
However, stores in some regions (depending on the size and location, like in specific urban areas) may have exemptions. The province of Ontario allows municipalities to enact their own retail holiday bylaws.
In Toronto, for example, businesses located in tourist areas such as Queens Quay West or the Eaton Centre are allowed to remain open.
Which days are restaurants typically open or closed in Ontario?
Restaurants in Ontario are not regulated by the Retail Business Holidays Act.
Accordingly, restaurant operators have the option of continuing to operate during holidays. If they do choose to operate, they must still pay their employees additional holiday pay, or provide their employees with alternate paid time off.
In general, locations of large restaurant chains will choose to remain open on holidays, while smaller local restaurants are more likely to voluntarily observe holiday closures.
Which sectors are federally regulated?
Federally-regulated employers follow federal employment law rather than provincial, so they will also follow federal holidays.
Federally regulated employers include federal civil servants, and employers that provide services typically related to national interests, infrastructure, and services that cross provincial boundaries.
The main federally regulated sectors include
- Transportation (airlines, railways, road, shipping);
- Telecommunications (phone, internet, telegraph and cable companies);
- Banks;
- Crown corporations (like Canada Post);
- Radio and television broadcasting (television and radio networks);
- First Nations and Indigenous Services;
- Uranium mining and processing, and atomic energy; and
- Any business that is vital to the operation of the above companies.
Employees working in these sectors are subject to federal labour laws, including rules about statutory holidays, vacation time, and working conditions.
Employees working for federally regulated employers are entitled to the following days off in 2025:
| Holiday | Day Observed |
| New Year’s Day | January 1 |
| Good Friday | April 18 |
| Victoria Day | May 19 |
| Canada Day | July 1 |
| Labour Day | September 1 |
| National Day for Truth and Reconciliation | September 30 |
| Thanksgiving | October 13 |
| Remembrance Day | November 11 |
| Christmas | December 25 |
| Boxing Day | December 26 |
Subscribe and get our Newcomer’s Guide to Canada
