Discovery day is a public holiday in the Yukon territory. It is celebrated on the third Monday in August. This year, Discovery Day is Monday August 18. Employees in the Yukon get a day off with holiday pay (regular wages).
Under the Employment Standards Act, if employees work on the public holiday, they are entitled to (a) holiday pay plus 1½ times their regular rate of wages for all hours worked; or (b) their regular rate of pay for the hours worked plus another day off with holiday pay taken at a time convenient to the employer and employee.
The Act does not apply to employees of the Government of the Yukon. For more information on public holidays, please consult the HRinfodesk website.
Gold was discovered in northwestern Yukon territory on August 17, 1896.
The discovery of placer gold on Rabbit Lake—later known as Bonanza Lake—touched off the great Klondike Gold Rush. At the height of the great Gold Rush, Dawson City was the largest city west of Winnipeg and north of Seattle, boasting a population of 30,000. Once the gold ran out, the adventurers moved on. Today, Yukon is one of the most remote and underpopulated regions of the world.
Happy Discovery Day Yukoners!
Yosie Saint-Cyr, LL.B. Managing Editor
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