Government of Saskatchewan ministries, Crown corporations and organizations are implementing contingency plans to minimize the impacts of postal service disruption.

Les ministères, sociétés d’État et organismes du gouvernement de la Saskatchewan mettent en œuvre des plans d’urgence visant à réduire les répercussions de l’interruption du service des postes.

Google Translate Disclaimer

A number of pages on the Government of Saskatchewan's website have been professionally translated in French. These translations are identified by a yellow box in the right or left rail that resembles the link below. The home page for French-language content on this site can be found at:

Renseignements en Français

Where an official translation is not available, Google™ Translate can be used. Google™ Translate is a free online language translation service that can translate text and web pages into different languages. Translations are made available to increase access to Government of Saskatchewan content for populations whose first language is not English.

Software-based translations do not approach the fluency of a native speaker or possess the skill of a professional translator. The translation should not be considered exact, and may include incorrect or offensive language. The Government of Saskatchewan does not warrant the accuracy, reliability or timeliness of any information translated by this system. Some files or items cannot be translated, including graphs, photos and other file formats such as portable document formats (PDFs).

Any person or entities that rely on information obtained from the system does so at his or her own risk. Government of Saskatchewan is not responsible for any damage or issues that may possibly result from using translated website content. If you have any questions about Google™ Translate, please visit: Google™ Translate FAQs.

Paying Employees for Public Holidays

Employees get paid for 10 public holidays per year in Saskatchewan: New Year's Day, Family Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Saskatchewan Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving Day, Remembrance Day and Christmas Day, no matter how they are paid or what hours they work.

Easter Monday, Christmas Eve and Boxing Day are not public holidays.

The Director of Employment Standards may approve a permit to authorize that a public holiday be observed on a specified working day other than the date of the public holiday.

There are three types of payment:

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1. Pay for Working in a Public Holiday

Employees working on a public holiday earn pay of 1.5 times their regular hourly rate for all hours worked. This includes managerial and professional employees and operators of group homes. The pay rate of 1.5 is in addition to the normal day's pay calculated below in Public Holiday Pay.

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2. Public Holiday Pay

Employees receive five per cent of their wages in the 28 days (four weeks) before a public holiday as public holiday pay.

The calculation includes all wages earned in the 28 days (four weeks), including vacation pay for vacation taken during the four weeks before the public holiday, and any public holiday pay for public holidays that occurred during the four weeks before the public holiday. The calculation does not include overtime.

A new employee is entitled to public holiday pay even if they have been employed for less than four weeks before the public holiday. The amount of public holiday pay is five per cent of the regular wages earned by the new employee before the public holiday.

Example:

An employee earns regular wages of $600/week, plus commission. In the four weeks before a public holiday, the employee takes one week of vacation for which the employee receives $600. The employee also earns $1,000 in commission. The calculation would be:

Regular wages $600 x three weeks $1,800
Add one week vacation pay $600
Add commission $1000
Total $3,400
x 5% $170

Salaried Employees Who Receive a Day off With Pay

If the employee receives the day off with pay, then this amount would be taken off the $170 calculated above. Assuming a five day week, the employee would earn a base wage of $600 ÷ 5 days = $120. Taking off the $120 would leave a balance of $50 to be paid ($170 - $120 = $50).

In some cases, employees on a fixed salary that have the day off with pay will have received proper payment for the public holiday. When the public holiday falls on an employee's day off, some employers may give the employee the option of receiving five per cent of their pay or taking an additional day off with pay.

Hourly-Paid Construction Employees

Public holiday pay for hourly-paid construction employees is four per cent of wages (excluding overtime and vacation pay) earned in the calendar year. Public holiday pay must be paid on or before December 31 in the year in which it was earned, or within 14 days of termination.

Employees Who Quit, are Laid Off or Terminated Before a Public Holiday

You must be an employee to be entitled to public holiday pay. If your employment ends before the holiday, you wouldn’t get public holiday pay for that day.

Visit the Public Holiday Pay Calculator to calculate the amount of public holiday pay owed to an employee. 

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3. Overtime for the Week of a Public Holiday

During a week with a public holiday, employees receive overtime after working 32 hours. The 32 hours does not include any hours worked on the public holiday.

Daily overtime depends on the employees' schedule. Employees scheduled to work eight hours per day receive overtime after eight hours. Employees scheduled to work 10 hours per day receive overtime after 10 hours.

Workplaces With an MWA or Averaging of Hours Permit

Where a workplace has a modified work arrangement (MWA) or an averaging of hours permit, each public holiday in the averaging period will reduce the number of hours before overtime is to be paid by eight hours. For example, if a public holiday falls within an averaging period of 160 hours over four weeks, overtime becomes payable after 152 hours.

Overtime is also payable after employees work more hours than the daily limit stated in the MWA or averaging permit.

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