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Statutory Holidays

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There are 9 statutory holidays that are observed by AMS per Alberta guidelines and 1 personal floater day, for a total of 10 days. November 11th (Remembrance Day) is a standard holiday and at the employee's option, this may be deferred to another day such as Boxing Day.

If a holiday falls on a non-workday then another day will be observed as the holiday - usually the preceding Friday or the following Monday. The Labour Standards Act leaves it up to the employer to decide.

The following days are observed as Statutory Holidays:

  • New Year's Day (January 1)
    •    New Year's Day is the closest thing to being the world's only truly global public holiday, often celebrated with fireworks at the stroke of midnight as the new year starts.
  • Family Day (February - approx 3rd Monday)
    •    Family Day was originally created to give people time to spend with their families but it also provides a day off between New Years Day and Good Friday as they are approximately three months apart. Common Family Day activities include skating, playing hockey, snowboarding/skiing and going to various winter festivals.
  • Good Friday (April - approx 3rd Friday)
    •    Good Friday marks the death of Jesus Christ according to the Christian religion. It is a fundamental part of Christianity along with the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Monday. Many agree that this is a more important holiday than Christmas because it is the ultimate proof that Jesus is the son of God beacuse he came back from death.
  • Victoria Day (May - approx 3rd Monday)
    •    Victoria Day is a Canadian statutory holiday celebrated on the Monday preceding May 24. It honours Queen Victoria's birthday.
  • Canada Day (July 1)
    •    Canada Day celebrates the birthday of Canada. On July 1, 1867 Canada became a new federation with its own constution by signing the Constitution Act (formerly known as the British North America Act).
    •    Canada Day is usually observed on July 1st but if that's a Sunday then Monday will be given as a day off. If it's a Saturday then normally Friday becomes the day off.
  • Labour Day (September - 1st Monday)
    •    This holiday officially celebrates workers and the labour union movement.
  • Thanksgiving (October - 2nd Monday)
    •    The original idea is to give thanks for the past harvest season but for many Canadian families the tradition has shifted and the focus is now to eat a large turkey dinner and get together with family. Apple cider and pumpkins are a must for any traditional thanksgiving celebration as well as turkey stuffing and pumpking pie. The first time Thanksgiving was held in Canada was in 1872 to celebrate the recovery of the Prince of Wales from a serious illness. After 1879 celebrations were held every year but not always in October - it used to be observed around Armistice Day in November.
  • Remembrance Day (November 11 - this may be deferred at the employee's option)
    •    On remembrance day members of the armed forces (soldiers, sailors and airmen) are commemorated. The other common name for this day is Armistice Day which marks the date and time when armies stopped fighting World War I. on November 11th at 11am in 1918 (the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month). Some 100,000 Canadian soldiers died in the First and Second World Wars.
  • Christmas Day (December 25)
    •    For centuries, Christian writers accepted that Christmas was the actual date on which Jesus was born.

Other days that are not official Statutory Holidays, but could be observed by using your personal floater day:

  • Easter Monday (April - the Monday following Easter Sunday)
    •    Easter Monday is celebrated as a holiday in some largely Christian cultures, especially Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox cultures. It is customarily a day for visiting family and friends.
  • Civic Holiday (August - 1st Monday)
    •    The Civic Holiday is celebrated on the first Monday of August. The Civic Holiday is commonly referred to as the August Long Weekend. It is probably the busiest day on highways as tens of thousands of families go camping, to cottages etc this weekend.
  • Boxing Day (December 26)
    •    The tradition has long included giving money and other gifts to those who were needy and in service positions. The European tradition has been dated to the Middle Ages, but the exact origin is unknown and there are some claims that it goes back to the late Roman/early Christian era; metal boxes placed outside churches were used to collect special offerings tied to the Feast of Saint Stephen.
    •    Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday, much like the day after Thanksgiving in the United States. It is a time where shops have sales, often with dramatic price decreases. For many merchants, Boxing Day has become the day of the year with the greatest revenue.