Federal holiday declared to honour Queen’s death on September 19, 2022, but Atlantic provinces divided on whether to declare the holiday for private sector businesses
G. Grant Machum and Ben Currie
On Tuesday, September 13, 2022, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared a federal holiday on Monday, September 19, 2022 to honour the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Minister of Labour Seamus O’Regan later clarified that the holiday will only be for federal government employees, and federally regulated employers will be “welcomed to follow suit.” Provinces in Atlantic Canada are divided on whether to declare the holiday in the private sector.
The following summarizes the position of each province in Atlantic Canada regarding whether the holiday will apply to private sector employers:
Nova Scotia
September 19, 2022 will not be a statutory holiday; therefore, private sector employers will decide whether to remain open and will not be required to provide additional pay for employees who work on September 19.
Most private employers in Nova Scotia so far are not treating September 19 as a holiday.
Newfoundland and Labrador
Similarly, in Newfoundland and Labrador, September 19, 2022 is not a statutory holiday and private sector employers will be permitted to decide whether to open. As a result, additional pay will not be required for employees who are required to work on September 19.
New Brunswick
New Brunswick will similarly make September 19, 2022 optional as a holiday for private sector employers and additional pay will not be required for those employees who work on September 19.
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island will declare a one-time statutory holiday for all provincially regulated workers on September 19, 2022. This applies to private sector employers since Prince Edward Island has declared September 19, 2022 as a statutory holiday for the purpose of the Employment Standards Act (“ESA”). Therefore, additional pay will be required for employees who are required to work on September 19, 2022 pursuant to the ESA.
This update is intended for general information only. If you have questions about the above, please contact the authors.
Click here to subscribe to Stewart McKelvey Thought Leadership.
Archive
The integrity of the jury system has become a pressing topic for our courts of late, with articles about jury duty frequently appearing front and centre in the press. The recent message from the Nova…
Read MoreIN THIS ISSUE: Cloud computing: House to navigate risky skies by Daniela Bassan and Michelle Chai Growing a startup by Clarence Bennett, Twila Reid and Nicholas Russon Knowing the lay of the land – Aboriginal rights and land claims in Labrador by Colm St. Roch Seviour and Steve Scruton Download…
Read MoreDOES IT APPLY TO YOU? On June 1, 2013, the Personal Health Information Act (PHIA) comes into force in Nova Scotia. If you are involved in health care in Nova Scotia, you need to know whether PHIA…
Read MoreEDITOR’S COMMENT This edition of Atlantic Employers’ Counsel focuses on key areas of employment standards in Atlantic Canada. Employment standards legislation outlines the rights and obligations of employees and requirements that apply to employers in…
Read MoreNEW TORT OF CYBERBULLYING On May 10, 2013 the Nova Scotia legislature passed the Cyber-safety Act (Bill 61). When this bill comes into force, it will give rise to a new tort of cyberbullying that…
Read MoreGOVERNMENT ACTION In the Economic Action Plan 2010, the Harper Government committed to bring greater clarity to how mortgage prepayment penalties were calculated. As part of the commitment, on February 26, 2013 the government released…
Read MoreSTEWART MCKELVEY WELCOMES BACK WANDA DOIRON AS MANAGER, CORPORATE SERVICES – NOVA SCOTIA You might remember Wanda from her time in our Corporate Services group from 2002 to 2008. Since then, she has worked in-house…
Read MoreREASONABLE PEOPLE DOING QUESTIONABLE THINGS: CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AND JUST CAUSE Can a unionized employee moonlight in his off hours to earn some extra money by doing the same work he does for his daytime…
Read MoreStewart McKelvey’s Vision Improving Legal Analysis (SVILA*) is an e-discovery project and litigation management tool. For more information on our e-discovery services, download the SVILA e-discovery document.
Read MoreIN THIS ISSUE: A New Brunswick business lawyer’s perspective by Peter Klohn Why Canada’s immigration rules matter to your business by Andrea Baldwin Financing Energy Projects during the Project Lifecycle by Lydia Bugden, Colm St. Roch Seviour and Tauna Staniland Download…
Read More