Wirebook › Glossary › Statutory holiday
What is a statutory holiday?
In one sentence: A day that employment rules treat as a paid day off. It is not the same as a day painted red on a calendar, or a day when school is closed.
A little more
A statutory holiday is a day that employment rules treat as a paid day off (or as a day you get extra pay if you still work). Governments publish a list for a place, such as Ontario's nine Employment Standards public holidays. That list is not the same as every day a wall calendar paints red.
A school closure and a calendar observance are different prizes. Civic Holiday (the first Monday in August in much of Canada) and Remembrance Day often appear on calendars in Ontario, but neither is one of those nine paid days. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on 30 September is a federal holiday, and provincial school boards and workplaces decide separately. When a day is only maybe a day off, the honest label uses words — check with your school or workplace — not colour alone.