Is Remembrance Day a stat holiday? 2026 rules by province

Remembrance Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, is a paid statutory or general holiday in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, P.E.I., Newfoundland and Labrador and the three territories, plus for federally regulated workers. It is not a paid holiday in Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba or Nova Scotia, though Manitoba and Nova Scotia have special closing rules.

Updated Nov. 8, 2026: Added the City of Ottawa by-law that keeps most retail closed until 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 11. Updated Nov. 3, 2026: The Royal Canadian Legion posted its 2026 ceremony program, with a start at about 10:30 a.m., and named Virginia Hicks of Frankford, Ont., as the 2026 National Silver Cross Mother. Updated Nov. 1, 2026: Checked liquor-store and retailer holiday-hours announcements; none had been posted for Nov. 11, 2026. Updated Oct. 27, 2026: Added the Nov. 11, 2026 national ceremony listing from Ottawa Tourism and the Vimy Foundation (about 10:45 a.m., free admission) and the 2025 broadcast times. Updated Oct. 22, 2026: Rewritten with a key facts table, pay rules, what is open and closed, the poppy campaign’s new 2026 dates and how to watch the national ceremony. Nunavut corrected to a general holiday under its Labour Standards Act.

Nov. 11 is one of the general holidays under the Canada Labour Code, so it applies everywhere to federally regulated workplaces such as banks, federal government offices and Canada Post. For everyone else, the answer comes from the employment standards law of your province or territory, and a separate set of retail laws decides whether stores may open.

Key facts: Remembrance Day 2026

Question	Answer
Date	Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026
Paid holiday in	B.C., Alta., Sask., N.B., P.E.I., N.L., Yukon, N.W.T., Nunavut, federally regulated workplaces
Not a paid holiday in	Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba (special rules), Nova Scotia (special rules)
Most stores must close	Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, P.E.I., Newfoundland and Labrador; Manitoba retail closed 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Two minutes of silence	11 a.m. local time
National ceremony	National War Memorial, Ottawa; starts at about 10:30 a.m. ET, Royal Canadian Legion says; spectators welcome
Poppy campaign	Oct. 24 to Nov. 11, a fixed window starting in 2026
Canada Post	No mail collection or delivery

Is Remembrance Day a statutory holiday in my province?

The table below uses each government’s own employment standards and retail closing pages, linked in the province notes that follow.

Province or territory	Paid holiday for most workers?	Must most stores close?
British Columbia	Yes, statutory holiday	No
Alberta	Yes, general holiday	No
Saskatchewan	Yes, public holiday	No
Manitoba	No, but 1.5 times pay for those who work	Retail closed 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., with exceptions
Ontario	No	No
Quebec	No	No
New Brunswick	Yes, paid public holiday	Yes, with exemptions
Nova Scotia	No standard holiday pay; a paid day off later for most who work it	Yes, with exemptions
Prince Edward Island	Yes, paid holiday	Yes, with exemptions
Newfoundland and Labrador	Yes, paid holiday	Yes, except exempt shops
Yukon	Yes, general holiday	No
Northwest Territories	Yes, statutory holiday	No
Nunavut	Yes, general holiday	No
Federally regulated workers	Yes, general holiday under the Canada Labour Code	Not applicable

In the West, Remembrance Day is one of B.C.’s statutory holidays, one of Alberta’s general holidays and one of Saskatchewan’s public holidays. Saskatchewan said the day cannot be moved to another date without the province’s permission, which it grants only in exceptional circumstances.

Manitoba treats the day under its own Remembrance Day Act. Most industries may not operate, retail businesses must stay closed from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. unless they sell only listed goods and services such as prepared meals, health services and gasoline, and restaurants and hotels may open.

Ontario does not list Nov. 11 among its public holidays, and Quebec’s labour standards agency, the CNESST, lists it among days that are not statutory holidays. Employers in both provinces may give the day off but do not have to.

In Atlantic Canada, New Brunswick lists it as a paid public holiday and a day of rest under its Days of Rest Act. Nova Scotia’s Remembrance Day Act closes most grocery stores, big box stores and malls. P.E.I.’s Retail Business Holidays Act and Newfoundland and Labrador’s 2026 shops closing notice close most retail as well.

In the North, the day is a general holiday under Yukon’s Employment Standards Act, according to the territory’s holiday pay fact sheet, a statutory holiday in the Northwest Territories, and one of the general holidays listed in Nunavut’s Labour Standards Act, according to the Government of Nunavut.

Do I get paid if I work on Remembrance Day?

Where the day is a paid holiday, eligible employees get a day off with holiday pay, or premium pay if they work. Saskatchewan and New Brunswick pay 1.5 times the regular rate for hours worked, on top of the holiday rules, and federally regulated employees who work a general holiday also get 1.5 times their rate plus holiday pay under the Canada Labour Code.

Manitoba does not require pay for people who do not work, but those who do work earn 1.5 times their wage, and the province said they also get a regular day’s pay if they work at least half a normal workday. Nova Scotia gives most employees who work Nov. 11, and who earned wages on at least 15 of the previous 30 days, a paid day off later. In Ontario and Quebec there is no holiday pay unless a contract or collective agreement provides it. Eligibility tests, such as minimum days worked, vary, so check the linked provincial page for your situation.

What is open and closed on Remembrance Day 2026?

Service	Status on Nov. 11, 2026
Canada Post	Closed, no mail collection or delivery
Federal government offices	Closed
Banks	Federally regulated; branch hours vary, check locally
Schools	Set by each school board, check locally
Malls and big box stores	Mostly closed in N.S., N.B., P.E.I. and N.L.; closed 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Manitoba; owner’s choice elsewhere, check locally
Liquor stores	Varies by province and retailer, check locally
Restaurants and hotels	Generally allowed to open, including under the Manitoba and Nova Scotia rules
Transit	Often a holiday or reduced schedule, check your local agency

Canada Post lists Remembrance Day on its holiday schedule, though post office counters inside other stores may follow their host store’s hours. Banks fall under federal labour law, but the law covers staff pay rather than branch hours, so call your branch.

Liquor retailers set their own hours within provincial law. In past years the LCBO has opened at noon on Nov. 11; a search of its news releases on Nov. 1 turned up no 2026 hours announcement, and the most recent release we could confirm (from 2016) gave a noon opening. Major grocery, big box and drugstore chains had not posted Nov. 11, 2026 hours either, so check the store locator for your location. In the four Atlantic provinces, the retail closing laws above also shape what can open. School closures differ even within a province, so check your board’s calendar.

Ontario has no provincial closing rule, but Ottawa does. The city’s Remembrance Day by-law (No. 2008-355) requires most retail businesses to stay closed until 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 11, according to the Retail Council of Canada. Check the city’s page for exemptions before you plan a morning errand in Ottawa.

What time is the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa?

The Royal Canadian Legion organizes the National Remembrance Day Ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa. The Legion’s national ceremony page now gives the 2026 program: the ceremony starts at about 10:30 a.m. ET with the Veterans’ March and the arrival of dignitaries, followed by O Canada and the Last Post, with two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. A 21-gun salute and the placing of wreaths follow. Spectators are welcome, and road closures near the memorial will affect traffic and OC Transpo service.

For 2026, Ottawa Tourism lists the ceremony at the National War Memorial on Wednesday, Nov. 11, saying it starts at approximately 10:45 a.m., and the Vimy Foundation lists free admission from 10:45 a.m. to noon. The Legion runs the ceremony, so go by its 10:30 a.m. time and arrive early.

The 2025 ceremony included a veterans’ parade, a 21-gun salute, the Last Post, a fly-past and wreath-laying, including one by the National Silver Cross Mother, and nearly 30,000 people attended, the Legion said. Many people place their poppies on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier afterward. The 2026 National Silver Cross Mother is Virginia Hicks of Frankford, Ont., whose daughter, Sapper Mariebeth Short, was killed in a training exercise at Petawawa on Sept. 23, 2002. She will place a wreath at the memorial on Nov. 11, the Legion said.

How can I watch the Remembrance Day ceremony?

National news networks will carry the Ottawa ceremony live on TV, and the Legion will stream it on its Facebook page, according to the Legion’s ceremony page. Local ceremonies are held at cenotaphs and Legion branches across the country, and Veterans Affairs Canada keeps an events calendar for Veterans’ Week, which leads up to Nov. 11. Nov. 8 is Indigenous Veterans Day.

When is the two minutes of silence?

The two minutes of silence is held at 11 a.m. local time on Nov. 11. Many workplaces and stores that are open pause at that time, and the national ceremony in Ottawa is timed around it.

When does the 2026 poppy campaign start?

The Legion moved to fixed dates this year. “Beginning in 2026, the campaign will run each year from October 24 through November 11,” the Legion told its branches in a notice. Before 2026, the campaign started on the last Friday of October. Veterans Affairs Canada encourages Canadians to wear a poppy, attend a ceremony and thank a veteran.

For planning the rest of the season, see our 2027 statutory holidays by province, Christmas and Boxing Day 2026 rules, Halloween 2026 trick-or-treat times and Black Friday 2026 dates and your rights.

Frequently asked questions about Remembrance Day 2026

Is Remembrance Day a stat holiday in Ontario?

No. Remembrance Day is not one of Ontario’s public holidays under the Employment Standards Act, so employers do not have to give the day off or pay holiday pay. Federally regulated workers in Ontario, such as bank and federal employees, do get it as a general holiday.

Is Remembrance Day a stat holiday in Quebec?

No. The CNESST lists Nov. 11 among days that are not statutory holidays in Quebec. Only workers covered by the Canada Labour Code get it as a paid holiday there.

Are banks open on Remembrance Day 2026?

Banks are federally regulated and their employees get Nov. 11 as a general holiday, but branch hours are set by each bank. Check with your branch before you go.

Is there mail on Remembrance Day?

No. Canada Post lists Remembrance Day as a holiday and does not collect or deliver mail. Post office counters inside other stores may keep their host store’s hours.

What time is the two minutes of silence on Nov. 11?

The two minutes of silence is held at 11 a.m. local time. In Ottawa, the Legion said the 2026 national ceremony starts at about 10:30 a.m. ET, with the silence at 11 a.m.

When does the poppy campaign start in 2026?

The Royal Canadian Legion said its poppy campaign runs from Oct. 24 to Nov. 11 every year starting in 2026, replacing the old start date of the last Friday in October.

Are stores open on Remembrance Day in Nova Scotia?

Most are not. Nova Scotia’s Remembrance Day Act closes most grocery stores, big box stores and malls, while stand-alone drug stores, service stations, restaurants, hotels and very small shops may open.

Sources: Canada.ca, federal general holidays; Royal Canadian Legion, national ceremony; Royal Canadian Legion, poppy campaign dates; Veterans Affairs Canada; Canada Post; B.C.; Alberta; Saskatchewan; Manitoba; Ontario; CNESST; New Brunswick; Nova Scotia; P.E.I.; Newfoundland and Labrador; Yukon; Northwest Territories; Nunavut.