Holidays

The Labour Standards Code gives employees six paid holidays per year: New Year’s Day, Nova Scotia Heritage Day, Good Friday, Canada Day, Labour Day, and Christmas Day. 

Nova Scotia (and Newfoundland & Labrador) have the least paid holidays per year of any province. Most provinces mandate 9-10 paid holidays, Nova Scotia has 6. Additionally, the province mandates that businesses close on certain days but does not guarantee employees pay. Labour scholars call this a “punitive holiday”.

If you were employed 15 of the 30 days before any holiday and you worked on your last scheduled shift before the holiday and the first scheduled shift after the holiday, then you are entitled to take and be paid for the holiday. You didn’t have to have worked the last 15 days; that means even if you used a sick day or you weren’t scheduled, you are entitled to the holiday pay.

Nova Scotia also has designated retail closing days, in which employees have the right to refuse to work, but do not receive pay for these days. Many employers simply close these days. The designated, unpaid retail closing days are Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving Day, and Boxing Day. Other days on which employers typically close and are not required to pay employees are Easter Monday, Victoria Day, and Natal Day.

Remembrance Day is governed by the Remembrance Day Act and is functionally a designated retail closing day on which employees are not paid. If employees work on Remembrance Day, they could be entitled to additional pay depending on their circumstances. For more information, see the Remembrance Day Act page provided by the province.