Career Advice » BC Statutory Holidays

The nine statutory holidays in British Columbia are

• New Years Day
• Labour Day
• Good Friday
• Thanksgiving Day
• Victoria Day
• Remembrance Day
• Canada Day
• Christmas Day
• B.C. Day

Easter Sunday, Easter Monday and Boxing Day are not statutory holidays.

To qualify for statutory holiday pay employees must:

• Have been employed for at least 30 calendar days, And
• Have worked on at least 15 of the 30 days before the statutory holiday.**

Employees who worked under an averaging agreement any time in the 30 days before the statutory holiday do not have to meet the 15-day minimum.

Qualified employees who are given a day off on a statutory holiday must be paid an average day’s pay.

Qualified employees who work on a statutory holiday must be paid:

• Time-and-a-half for the first 12 hours worked and double-time after 12 hours Plus
• An average day's pay.
• An average day's pay is the total regular earnings divided by the number of days worked in the previous 30 calendar days.
• Regular earnings includes wages, and vacation pay received for vacations taken, but does not include overtime pay.

Days worked includes all days where wages were earned as well as any days of annual vacation taken in the 30 calendar days before the statutory holiday.

Employers and a majority of employees can agree to substitute another day for a statutory holiday. The substitute day must be treated the same as a statutory holiday.

Factsheet: Statutory holidays

Reprinted from http://www.labour.gov.bc.ca/esb/esaguide/#2