Statutory Holidays and Winter Closure
Employees at the university observe 11 general holidays; Alberta’s 9 general (statutory) holidays: New Year's Day, Alberta Family Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving Day, Remembrance Day and Christmas Day and 2 optional general holidays, Easter Monday and Heritage Day. Additionally, employees will normally be entitled to four days off during the regular work week period from December 26 to December 31 inclusive for Winter Closure.
Paid holidays are the actual dates these holidays fall on. If a paid holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the paid holiday will be observed on the following Monday. These are considered designated paid days off and are treated as a rest day under the terms of the Collective Agreements and Handbooks.
Upcoming Paid Holidays
| Holiday | Date |
|---|---|
| Heritage Day | Monday, August 1, 2022 |
| Labour Day | Monday, September 5, 2022 |
| Thanksgiving | Monday, October 10, 2022 |
| Remembrance Day | Friday, November 11, 2022 |
| Christmas Day | Sunday, December 25, 2022* |
| Winter Closure | From Monday, December 26, 2022–Monday, January 2, 2023** |
| New Year's Day | Sunday, January 1, 2023*** |
| Alberta Family Day | Monday, February 20, 2023 |
| Good Friday | Friday, April 7, 2023 |
| Easter Monday | Monday, April 10, 2023 |
| Victoria Day | Monday, May 22, 2023 |
| Canada Day | Saturday, July 1, 2023**** |
| Heritage Day | Monday, August 7, 2023 |
*As the 2022 Christmas Day paid holiday falls on a Sunday, it will be recognized on Monday December 26, 2022 in lieu.
**Please refer to the Winter Closure and Winter Closure Effect on Pay reference guides for instructions on how Support Staff pay is administered during winter closure. Guidelines for the current year will be updated prior to the date.
***As the 2023 New Year's Day paid holiday falls on a Sunday, it will be recognized on Monday, January 2, 2023 in lieu.
****As the 2023 Canada Day paid holiday falls on a Saturday, it will be recognized on Monday July 3, 2023 in lieu.
Eligibility for General Holiday Pay
Employees are eligible for general holiday pay as listed in the table below. General holiday pay is paid across the pay periods the month the holiday occurs. Depending on their schedules, some part-time employees also receive holiday pay as part of their salary. Additionally, please note that:
- Not all employees are eligible to receive pay for optional general holidays.
- Part-time employees are not eligible to receive general holiday pay for days they were not scheduled to work.
General Holiday Pay by Employee Type
| Employee Type | Eligibility and Rate of Pay |
|---|---|
| Regular Support Staff | General holiday pay is included in regular salary. |
| Auxiliary Hourly Support Staff | Eligible for the 9 statutory holidays and the two optional holidays. Pay is calculated at a rate of 4.23% on all regular earnings and processed each pay period on all regular hours worked. These employees will see statutory pay code 077 on their paycheques. |
| Part Time Salaried Support Staff | If general holiday falls on a scheduled work day, employees receive their regular earnings for that day. |
| Casual 1 Full Time Students, Casual 1, Casual 2 | Eligible for the 9 statutory holidays and will receive 3.46% stat pay which is processed each pay period on all regular hours worked. These employees will see statutory pay code 074 on their paycheques. |
| Supplement Trades | Receive 10% vacation pay, which is a combination of 4% statutory holiday pay and 6% vacation pay. This is based on their trade agreements. These employees will see the vacation code 720 on their paycheques. |
| Faculty, Faculty Service Officer, Librarians, Academic Teaching Staff, Trust/Research Academic Staff, Administrative and Professional Officer, Temporary Librarian, Administrative and Professional Officer | General holiday pay is included in regular salary. |
| Academic hourly | Eligible for 9 statutory holidays if holiday is considered a regular day of work according to the 5 of 9 rule. If in the 9 weeks before the holiday, the employee has worked 5 of the same weekdays, then that weekday is considered a regular day of work. E.g. if a holiday falls on a Monday, and the employee has worked 5 Mondays in the last 9 weeks before the holiday, then Monday is considered a regular day of work for them, and the rules for regular days of work apply. Employees receive their regular earnings for that day. |
| Management and Professional Staff | General holiday pay is included in regular salary. |
| Part Time Salaried Excluded Academic and Management Staff | Eligible for holiday pay only when the holiday falls on a scheduled work day. Pay is included in their regular salary. |
| Short Term Academically-Related Employment (STARE) | Eligible for 9 statutory holidays if holiday is considered a regular day of work according to the 5 of 9 rule. If in the 9 weeks before the holiday, the employee has worked 5 of the same weekdays, then that weekday is considered a regular day of work. E.g. if a holiday falls on a Monday, and the employee has worked 5 Mondays in the last 9 weeks before the holiday, then Monday is considered a regular day of work for them, and the rules for regular days of work apply. Employees receive their regular earnings for that day. |
| Excluded Students | Eligible for the 9 statutory holidays and will receive 3.46% stat pay which is processed each pay period on all regular hours worked. These employees will see statutory pay code 074 on their paycheques. |