Is Boxing Day a Stat Holiday in Canada? Province by Province

Boxing Day is a paid statutory holiday only in Ontario and for federally regulated employees under the Canada Labour Code. Every other jurisdiction researched for this article, British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut, treats December 26 as an ordinary working day unless an employer chooses to give it as a paid day off.

Information last verified on 2026-09-24. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

This article covers whether Boxing Day is a paid statutory holiday under the employment standards laws of Canada's provinces and territories and under the federal Canada Labour Code. It addresses the employment law question only, not retail closing rules, banking hours, or school closures, which are governed separately. For the full picture of which days are statutory in each jurisdiction, see Statutory Holidays in Canada.

Where Boxing Day Is a Paid Statutory Holiday

Ontario is the only province where Boxing Day is one of the statutory public holidays. The Ministry of Labour's guide to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 lists Ontario's nine public holidays as New Year's Day, Family Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day (December 26).

Boxing Day is also one of the ten general holidays for employees covered by the Canada Labour Code, the federal law that applies to banking, telecommunications, interprovincial transportation, and other federally regulated workplaces. Section 166(1) of the Code defines a general holiday to include 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. If Boxing Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday that is a non-working day, section 193(2) moves the paid holiday to the closest working day before or after it.

Where Boxing Day Is Not a Statutory Holiday

In the rest of Canada, Boxing Day does not appear on the list of paid statutory holidays.

What Not Statutory Means for You

Outside Ontario and federally regulated employment, whether you get Boxing Day off, and whether you are paid if you do, depends entirely on your employer's policy or your collective agreement. No provincial or territorial employment standards law outside Ontario requires it. If you are scheduled to work on Boxing Day in one of the jurisdictions listed above, you are entitled to your regular pay for the hours you work, but not to a statutory premium or a substitute day off, unless your employer's own policy or contract provides one. The exception is Alberta: if your employer chooses to recognize Boxing Day as a holiday, all of Alberta's employment standards rules on holiday pay then apply to it.

Nova Scotia's designation of Boxing Day as a retail closing day is a rule about when certain retail stores must stay closed. It does not create a right to paid time off for employees generally, and it should not be confused with a paid statutory holiday.

Ontario and Federally Regulated Employees: Working on Boxing Day

In Ontario, an employee who qualifies under the Employment Standards Act's Last and First Rule and is required to work on Boxing Day is generally entitled to either public holiday pay plus premium pay for the hours worked, or regular wages for the hours worked plus a substitute paid holiday. The qualifying test, the pay formula, and the substitute-day mechanics are covered in Statutory Holidays in Ontario.

Under the Canada Labour Code, an employee required to work on Boxing Day must generally be paid holiday pay plus one and one half times their regular rate of wages for the hours worked. An employee in a continuous operation may instead be given a holiday with pay at another time, and section 195 lets an employer substitute another day for the holiday itself with a union's written agreement or, for employees without a collective agreement, the employees' approval. See Federally Regulated Employees and the Canada Labour Code for how the federal rules work more broadly.

For how Boxing Day fits into the wider picture of Canadian statutory holidays and vacation pay, see Statutory Holidays in Canada and Employment Standards in Canada: An Overview.

Disclaimer: This article provides general information about whether Boxing Day is a paid statutory holiday under Canadian federal and provincial or territorial employment standards laws, current as of September 2026. It is not legal advice. Employment standards change by legislative amendment, and an employer's own policy or a collective agreement may provide more generous terms than the legal minimum described here. Consult the relevant government employment standards office or a lawyer licensed in your province or territory for advice on your specific situation.