Next Public Holiday – Monday, May 18, 2026
Victoria Day is recognized as a public holiday Federally as well as in British Columbia, Alberta,
Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. Employees in
these jurisdictions are generally eligible for a day off with public holiday pay, subject to applicable
employment standards legislation.
‍For more information on what public holiday pay means and what happens if an employee works on a
holiday, please refer to your applicable provincial or territorial employment standards website.

Manitoba – Upcoming Health and Safety Regulation Changes for Washrooms
Manitoba has passed legislation that as of September 1, 2026, employers will be required to have
disposal containers near all toilets, and employers will be required to provide free menstrual products at
each toilet, or if not reasonably practicable, at another workplace location that is always accessible and
offers a reasonable amount of privacy.

Update to minimum wage
Quebec’s minimum wage will increase from $16.10 to $16.60 per hour, effective May 1, 2026
Announced on March 24, 2026, the Federal minimum wage was increased to $18.15 per hour as of April
1, 2026.

Next public holiday – Friday, April 3, 2026
Good Friday (April 3, 2026) is recognized as a public holiday federally as well as in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. Employees in these jurisdictions are generally eligible for a day off with public holiday pay, subject to applicable employment standards legislation.

Quebec doesn’t observe Good Friday as a statutory holiday, as employers may choose to observe either Good Friday or Easter Monday.

For more information on what public holiday pay means and what happens if an employee works on a holiday, please refer to your applicable provincial or territorial employment standards website.

Updates to minimum wages effective April 1, 2026
Prince Edward Island – Prince Edward Island’s minimum wage will increase from $16.00 to $17.00 per hour.
Nova Scotia – Nova Scotia’s minimum wage will increase from $16.50 to $16.75 per hour.
New Brunswick – New Brunswick’s minimum wage will increase from $15.65 to $15.90 per hour.

Ontario – New policies for employers with 25+ employees
Employers with 25+ employees as of January 1, 2026, must have a Disconnecting from Work Policy and an Electronic Monitoring Policy in place by March 1, 2026. Both policies must be provided to employees within 30 days of being prepared or updated and must be provided to new employees within 30 days of being hired.

‍Reminder – Daylight Savings Time
Daylight Savings Time begins on March 8. At 2 A.M. local time, time will move ahead one hour to 3 A.M.

Next public holiday – Monday, February 16, 2026
Family Day is a public holiday in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba (Louis Riel Day), Ontario, Nova Scotia (Heritage Day), Prince Edward Island (Islander Day), and New Brunswick. Employees in those provinces are eligible for a day off with pay.For more information on what general holiday pay means and what happens if an employee works on a holiday, refer to your provincial employment standards site.

‍Ontario – Pay transparency requirements (Effective January 1, 2026)
Ontario’s new pay transparency regulations are now in effect. Employers must ensure that: All publicly advertised job postings include expected compensation or a salary range Recruiters and hiring managers do not request candidates’ salary history Annual Pay Transparency Reports are prepared and filed (for employers who meet reporting thresholds; further provincial details pending) Employers should update postings, hiring processes, and internal documentation to remain compliant.

‍Saskatchewan – Bill 5, The Saskatchewan Employment Amendment Act, 2024 (Effective January 1, 2026)
Saskatchewan has implemented several amendments to The Saskatchewan Employment Act under Bill 5.  Work scheduling and hours of work Employers may now define a workday as either a calendar day or a 24-hour period beginning at the start of a shift, providing more scheduling flexibility Tips and gratuities Employers are now prohibited from withholding or deducting employee tips, except in limited circumstances Medical notes  Employers may only request a medical note after more than five consecutive days away, or after two absences of two or more working days in the previous year. Expanded leave entitlements Serious illness leave: Increased from 12 to 27 weeks Interpersonal violence leave: 10 days (five paid, five unpaid) plus up to 16 weeks of additional unpaid leave Bereavement leave: May be taken up to six months after a death and now includes individuals “like family”, and pregnancy loss of the employee, the employee’s family member, or if the employee would have been a parent to a child born because of pregnancy Maternity leave: Increasing eligibility for leave due to loss of pregnancy from 13 to 20 weeks before birth date Group terminations Notice requirements now apply when 25 or more employees are terminated (previously 10) Youth employment Stronger protections and updated rules for workers under the age of 16, including alignment with Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) requirements Other notable updates Part-time employees may participate in modified work arrangements The requirement for two consecutive rest days in retail has been eliminated The Director of Employment Standards has expanded powers to order compensation, reinstatement, or removal of discipline in cases of discriminatory action

‍Alberta – Extending long-term illness and injury leave (Effective January 1, 2026)
Effective January 1, 2026, the maximum duration of the job protected leave for long term illness and injury under Alberta’s Employment Standards Code will increase from 16 weeks per calendar year to 27 weeks per calendar year. Employers may need to update their policies and disability management procedures as a result of this change.

Next public holiday – January 1, 2026
New Years Day will be observed as a public holiday throughout Canada on January 1, 2026.Employees are entitled to the day off with regular pay or public holiday pay. Where employees are required to work, employers must ensure they follow applicable provincial or federal rules for holiday pay.

Federally regulated – Bereavement Leave
While this amendment was originally announced in June 2025, it comes into effect December 12, 2025. As of this date, employees covered under the Canada Labour Code (federally regulated workplaces) will be entitled to 10 days of leave per year, which includes 3 paid days for those who have worked at least three consecutive months. This leave can be taken in one or two periods, anytime from the date of the family member’s death up to six weeks after the funeral or memorial service. Employers may require that each period of leave be at least one full day.
This amendment replaces the previous leave entitlement of 5 days of bereavement leave.

Federally regulated – Pregnancy Loss Leave
Effective December 12, 2025, the Canada Labour Code has added a new leave of absence for where an employee’s pregnancy or the pregnancy of their spouse or common-law partner does not result in a live birth, or the employee was supposed to be the legal parent of a child per another person’s pregnancy that does not result in a live birth.
This leave of absence will be 8 weeks if the pregnancy results in a stillbirth (i.e., after the 20th week of pregnancy), or 3 days, in any other case.

Employees are eligible to have the first 3 days paid after 3 consecutive months of continuous employment.

The leave may be taken from the date of death up to 12 weeks after the funeral or memorial service.

British Columbia – Short-term Sick Leave
Amendments to the BC Employment Standards Act introduce new rules regarding employer requests for medical documentation for short-term health related leaves, effective November 12, 2025.

With these changes, BC employers will not be permitted to request a medical note, document, or other record for a leave related to the health, illness, or injury of the employee or the employee’s immediate family under the following criteria:
• Where the leave is no more than five consecutive days; and
• In the same calendar year, the employee has not taken more than one other health-related leave for a period up to five consecutive days.

In other words, employers cannot request a sick note for an employee’s first two health-related, short-term absences of five consecutive days or less in a calendar year.

This restriction on medical notes requests does not apply when medical documentation is necessary to assess whether the employee is fit to return to work after a health-related leave, or to determine if an employee requires an accommodation.