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Tuesday, October 16, 2007

New Public Holiday Proposed

On the heels of its re-election, the McGuinty government announced it plans to proceed with a new public holiday, “Family Day,” which will fall on the third Monday in February.

This will put Ontario on par with Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia by providing nine statutory holidays per year. It is anticipated that Family Day will be defined as a “public holiday” under the Employment Standards Act (ESA) along with New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Boxing Day. The August Civic Holiday, which falls on the first Monday in August, is not recognized as a statutory holiday under the ESA.

This will be good for employee morale and a welcome addition for employees as a break in the long winter stretch between the New Year’s and Good Friday statutory holidays. Employers, however, should anticipate that they will have to comply with all of the existing obligations associated with public holidays such as time off work, public holiday pay and “premium pay.”

Please look for more updates on this subject as further details become available. If you have questions in the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact us at 416-694-6101.