The holiday season is among the best periods of our lives. Where we make a lot of memories, spend time with loved ones, and see new places. We finally get a vacation from our demanding schedules and jobs. Naturally, going on holidays is quite good for our physical and emotional health. After putting in long hours and fulfilling duties for months, vacations are really necessary. It helps us heal physically and mentally so that we can work more productively.
The Ontario government is aware of how important vacation time is to employees. Therefore, in accordance with the 2018 revisions to the province's holiday legislation, just 9 statutory holidays are honoured in Ontario. Employees may generally use their vacation days within these nine mandatory
What are the nine statutory holidays in Ontario?
In Ontario, employees are allowed to take a total of 9 statutory holidays in a year.
- New Year's Day - (January 1, 2024)
- Family Day - (February 20, 2024)
- Good Friday - (April 7, 2024)
- Victoria Day - (May 22, 2024)
- Canada Day - (July 1, 2024)
- Labour Day - (September 4, 2024)
- Thanksgiving Day - (October 9, 2024)
- Christmas Day - (December 25, 2024)
- Boxing Day - (December 26, 2024)
These nine holidays also include a few more days, such as Remembrance Day (November 11) and the Civic Holiday, for which there is no formal notice but some employers in Ontario nevertheless give their staff time off (First Monday in August). Companies are required to provide employees time off during these nine statutory holidays and pay them in accordance with their salaries.
How is statutory holiday pay calculated in Ontario?
Employees must adhere to this guideline regardless of their position (full- or part-time), date of employment, or the number of days worked prior to the statutory holidays. Every employee is entitled to remuneration for statutory holidays. Additionally, if the employee does not finish their final regularly scheduled workday before the public holidays or their first public holiday scheduled without explanation, they are not eligible for holiday pay. Additionally, those who agreed to work on a holiday or who skip that shift without a good reason are disqualified. In Ontario, the entire vacation pay owed for the four weeks prior to a public holiday is added to the employee's total weekly wages and split by 20.
Regular statutory payment
Consider Davis, who works Monday through Sunday. He has worked a total of 30 hours over the course of 5 weeks and gets paid $15 per hour. Taking into account that he finished his last shift before the holiday and will be working the day after as well, he is eligible for both standard and premium statutory pay if he is scheduled for the day.
Davis’s weekly salary over the past five weeks: $30 times $15 is $450 plus $17. (vacation payment)
Statutory payment: 450 + 17 = $467/20 = $23.35
Davis will receive a total regular statutory payment of $23.35.
Premium payment
This is determined by multiplying the number of hours they worked by 1.5 times the standard hourly rate. Premium pay is the hourly rate multiplied by 1.5.
For instance, Brook receives $15 per hour for a ten-hour shift. Additionally, he puts in 10 hours on legal holidays. He worked his last scheduled shift prior to the holiday and will be working the first shift after, thus qualifying for both normal and premium statutory pay.
Regular pay that Brook earned in 5 weeks: 15 x 30 (10 x 5) = $450 + $15 (vacation payment).
$450 + $15 = $465/ 20= $23.25
Lastly, you can calculate holiday payments through the Ontario public holiday calculator.
Conclusion
For workers, Ontario's statutory holidays are both significant and thrilling. Everyone enjoys having a nice time and creating happy memories with their families. In Ontario, there are nine recognized statutory holidays. You can calculate how much to pay your employees by multiplying the per-hour work rate by the number of weeks worked by employees. Additionally, you can figure out the holiday payment using the official Ontario holiday calculator.