Is Remembrance Day a Statutory Holiday in Ontario?

Every November 11, Canadians pause to mark the armistice that ended the First World War on 1918-11-11. For workers in most provinces, Remembrance Day comes with a statutory day off. In Ontario, though, it’s a different story — and that gap between national observance and provincial law trips up a lot of people scrambling to figure out their rights before November arrives. Here’s what you actually need to know about whether Remembrance Day is a stat holiday in Ontario, who’s entitled to what, and what closes on the day itself.

Statutory holidays in Ontario: 9 ·
Remembrance Day status in Ontario: Not statutory ·
Federal workers on Nov 11: Statutory holiday ·
Provinces excluding Remembrance Day: Ontario, Manitoba

These attributes capture the core legal distinctions between Ontario’s provincial rules and federal holiday designations.

Is Remembrance Day a Statutory Holiday in Ontario?

No — Remembrance Day is not a statutory holiday in Ontario. Under the Employment Standards Act (ESA), employers are not required to give employees a day off or public holiday pay for November 11. The Ontario government lists nine public holidays that employers must observe, and November 11 does not appear on that list. The distinction matters: “statutory” means the law requires time off and premium pay; Remembrance Day in Ontario is neither.

“Under the Employment Standards Act, employers in Ontario aren’t required to give their employees a day off for Remembrance Day and it is not a public holiday.”

— Ontario Government, Your Guide to the Employment Standards Act

Legal status under Ontario Employment Standards Act

The ESA sets the baseline for public holiday entitlements across the province. For a day to qualify as a statutory holiday in Ontario, it must be named in the Act. Remembrance Day was never added to that list, which means private-sector employers face no legal obligation to give workers November 11 off. Some organizations voluntarily observe the day out of respect or collective agreement provisions, but that is a policy choice, not a legal requirement. Ontario’s official ESA guide makes this explicit: under the Act, employers aren’t required to provide a day off or public holiday pay for Remembrance Day.

Comparison to federal holiday status

Contrast this with the federal picture. The Canada Labour Code treats Remembrance Day as a general holiday for federally regulated workplaces — meaning federal government employees and workers in industries like banking, interprovincial transport, and telecommunications do receive statutory protections on November 11. The Government of Canada’s official pay guide confirms Remembrance Day is among federal statutory holidays. This creates a patchwork: the same November 11 date is a guaranteed day off for federal workers but entirely at employer discretion for most Ontario private-sector employees.

“Remembrance Day is a general holiday for the federal government and federally-regulated workplaces.”

— Payworks, HR Payroll Provider

What Are the Statutory Holidays in Ontario?

To understand where Remembrance Day fits — or doesn’t — it helps to know what actually IS a statutory holiday in Ontario. The ESA identifies nine public holidays: New Year’s Day, Family Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day. Easter Monday, the Civic Holiday, and Remembrance Day are notably absent from that list. Family Day in 2026 falls on February 16.

List of 9 paid holidays

• New Year’s Day (January 1)
• Family Day (third Monday in February)
• Good Friday (March/April)
• Victoria Day (Monday before May 25)
• Canada Day (July 1)
• Labour Day (first Monday in September)
• Thanksgiving Day (second Monday in October)
• Christmas Day (December 25)
• Boxing Day (December 26)

The nine-holiday structure creates a defined baseline that Ontario employers must follow, leaving Remembrance Day in a gray area where observance varies by employer.

Employer obligations

For those nine holidays, Ontario employers must provide the day off and public holiday pay, which the ESA calculates as regular wages earned over the prior four weeks divided by 20. Employees who work on a public holiday must receive premium pay: regular rate plus holiday pay plus premium wages (typically time-and-a-half). Workers qualify for public holiday pay only if they meet the “last and first rule” — they’ve worked for the employer on their last scheduled workday before the holiday and first scheduled workday after it.

What’s Closed on November 11 in Ontario?

Even though Remembrance Day isn’t statutory in Ontario, numerous institutions close anyway. Federal operations are the most reliable closures: federal government offices and Canada Post shut down nationwide on November 11. Banks follow federal regulations, so most bank branches in Ontario are closed on the day as well. Provincial and municipal operations vary by location.

Government offices

Provincial government offices close on Remembrance Day, as do many municipal facilities across Ontario. A concrete example from 2025: in Chatham-Kent, municipal offices, provincial courts, and Service Ontario locations all closed on November 11 to observe the day, despite the non-statutory status. Chatham-Kent also closed CK Public Health and most CKHA departments, though emergency rooms and hemodialysis services remained open. Theatres, museums, libraries, and galleries in that municipality closed as well.

Schools and banks

Schools in Ontario are typically closed on Remembrance Day — either through scheduled closures or because November 11 falls during a reading week or other break period. Most bank branches are closed, reflecting federal oversight of the banking sector. The pattern is consistent: anything operating under federal jurisdiction or with strong public-facing civic obligations tends to close, while purely private businesses largely remain open.

The implication: workers in federally regulated industries get guaranteed closure, while private-sector employees must rely on employer discretion or collective agreements for November 11 off.

What’s Open and Closed on Remembrance Day in Ontario?

The open/closed picture on November 11 in Ontario is a patchwork that reflects the holiday’s unusual legal status. Government offices, banks, and many cultural institutions close. Most retail, restaurants, and service businesses stay open. Transit typically runs on regular schedules.

Retail and services

Most shopping malls, retail stores, and restaurants operate normally on Remembrance Day in Ontario. There are no provincial restrictions preventing retail businesses from opening. Some employers choose to give their staff the day off as a matter of policy, but that’s a workplace decision rather than a legal requirement.

Public transit

Public transit in Ontario generally runs on regular schedules on Remembrance Day. In Chatham-Kent, for example, Ride CK Transit operated normally on November 11, 2025. Garbage and recycling collection also continued on regular schedules — waste depots stayed open for regular hours. This reflects the reality that only closures tied to government mandate or voluntary employer policy affect these services.

Who Gets Remembrance Day Off in Ontario?

Entitlement to Remembrance Day off in Ontario depends heavily on who your employer is. Federal workers get the day by law. Public-sector employees often receive it through collective agreements or government policy. Private-sector workers are at the mercy of their employer’s discretion — or their union contract.

Public sector employees

Ontario’s public sector — provincial ministries, municipalities, school boards, hospitals — frequently gives employees Remembrance Day off even though the ESA doesn’t require it. Many public-sector collective agreements include November 11 as a recognized holiday. In practice, if you work for the Ontario government, a school board, or a municipal service, you’re likely getting the day off on November 11. Chatham-Kent’s 2025 closures illustrate this pattern at the local level.

Federal vs provincial workers

The clearest divide is between federally regulated and provincially regulated workplaces. Under the Canada Labour Code, Remembrance Day is a general holiday for federal workers, guaranteeing time off and premium pay. Provincially regulated Ontario workers — the majority of the workforce — fall under ESA rules, which exclude November 11 entirely.

What this means: employees should verify their employment sector and check any applicable collective agreements or employment contracts for Remembrance Day entitlements.

Related reading: What Is Minimum Wage in Ontario 2025 – Current Rate $17.60

Like Remembrance Day under Ontario’s ESA, Truth and Reconciliation Days status carries varying statutory recognition across Canadian provinces.

Frequently Asked Questions