What’s open and closed on Boxing Day 2026

Whether stores are open on Boxing Day, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2026, depends on the province. Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador treat it as a retail closing day, Quebec lets general retail open only from 1 to 5 p.m., and Ontario does not require shops to close.

Published Nov. 11, 2026. We could not find 2026 Boxing Day hours posted by Walmart, Costco, the grocery chains or the liquor retailers, so this guide sets out what each province’s rules say and what we could not confirm. We will update it when chains publish their hours.

Key facts: Boxing Day 2026 shopping rules

Are stores open on Boxing Day in Ontario?

Ontario’s Retail Business Holidays Act lists seven days when retail businesses must close, and Boxing Day is not among them, according to Ontario.ca. Shops may open. Whether a given mall or chain does, and for how long, is the retailer’s decision, and we found no 2026 hours posted.

Boxing Day is a public holiday for pay purposes in Ontario, so employees who work may be owed holiday pay. Our holiday pay guide for December 2026 sets out the rules by province.

Is Quebec open on Boxing Day?

Partly. Quebec.ca says general retail may open on Dec. 26 only between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., and food stores and SAQ outlets larger than 375 square metres cannot open before 1 p.m. Smaller food stores and SAQ outlets may keep normal hours, and pharmacies may open around the clock, the province says. Normal hours resume Saturday, Jan. 2, 2027.

Are shops closed on Boxing Day in the Atlantic provinces?

Yes, with exemptions. Nova Scotia’s Retail Business Uniform Closing Day Act lists Boxing Day and exempts, among others, drug stores outside department stores, service stations and restaurants. New Brunswick’s Days of Rest Act exempts restaurants, hotels, gas stations, small food and publication shops and drug stores under 850 square metres of public area. Prince Edward Island’s Retail Business Holidays Act exempts gas stations, small convenience stores, restaurants, accommodation and drug stores with a pharmacist on duty. Newfoundland and Labrador’s Shops’ Closing Act lists the day, and its exemptions are set by regulation, which we did not read.

Statutes are amended, and the Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island texts we read may not be the latest consolidations. Confirm with your province before relying on a rule for a legal or business decision.

What about banks, Canada Post and transit on Boxing Day?

We could not confirm 2026 Boxing Day hours for banks, Canada Post counters or any city’s transit system, and we have not guessed. Cities usually post holiday transit schedules in December, so check your local agency. For mail, see the Canada Post Christmas mailing deadlines.

Are liquor stores open on Boxing Day?

Only Quebec has an official statement we could confirm: the province treats SAQ outlets as food stores, so the 375-square-metre rule above applies. We found no Dec. 26, 2026 hours for the LCBO, Manitoba Liquor Marts, Alberta retailers or B.C. liquor stores.

For the Dec. 25 rules, see What’s open on Christmas Day 2026 in Canada, by province. For the day’s history, see What is Boxing Day? History and meaning, and for which provinces give the day off, see our Christmas and Boxing Day stat holidays guide.

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Sources: Ontario.ca, Quebec.ca and Legisquebec, the Government of Manitoba, the Nova Scotia legislature, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Prince Edward Island and the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly, linked above and read Nov. 9 to 11, 2026. This page is not legal advice.