Remembrance Day falls on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, and whether you get the day off depends on where you live and who employs you.
The day is a federal statutory holiday, which means workplaces under the Canada Labour Code, including banks, federal offices and Canada Post, are closed. Provinces and territories set their own rules for everyone else.
Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut treat Nov. 11 as a statutory holiday, according to Office Holidays and Payworks. Eligible employees in those jurisdictions get the day off with holiday pay, or premium pay if they work.
Ontario and Quebec do not. Nov. 11 is not a public holiday under Ontario’s Employment Standards Act, though an employer may choose to give the day off. Quebec does not list it as a paid statutory holiday under provincial law, so only employees covered by federal labour rules get it as a paid day.
Manitoba and Nova Scotia sit in between. Neither makes it a general paid holiday, but both have a Remembrance Day Act. In Manitoba, the law restricts most businesses from operating on Nov. 11 and requires premium pay for people who do work. Nova Scotia’s act requires most retail businesses to close, though the day is not a paid holiday for most workers.
Sources disagree on a few details. One summary of provincial rules listed Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador and Yukon as not having a statutory holiday, while two others listed them as having one. Check with your employer or your province’s labour standards office if your pay depends on it.
For most people, the practical effect is on services. Banks and credit unions under federal rules are generally closed, and mail delivery is generally suspended. Government offices usually close in provinces that observe the day. Many schools close, although school boards set their own calendars, so check with yours.
Retail varies. In Manitoba and Nova Scotia, expect most stores to be closed. In provinces with a statutory holiday, large grocery chains and malls often shorten their hours or open in the afternoon. In Ontario and Quebec, most stores are open as usual, but hours at some can differ.
Many businesses that stay open pause for two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. The national ceremony takes place at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, and local ceremonies are held at cenotaphs and legions across the country. Start times and locations are set by local branches of the Royal Canadian Legion, so check your community’s listings before you go.
Transit is typically on a holiday or reduced schedule in cities that observe the day. Confirm with your local agency, since service changes are often posted a few days ahead.
Nov. 11 became a federal statutory holiday in 2018, but that change did not extend to provincially regulated workplaces. That gap explains why a coworker across a provincial border can have a different day than you.
Canada News Media will update this guide as provinces and retailers confirm their plans.
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Via Office Holidays, with additional reporting from Payworks and Agendrix.
