Family Day in British Columbia, February 13

February 10, 2017 Cristina Lavecchia Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Payroll, Pensions and Benefits, Source Deductions and Reporting, Union Relations, Wages and Compensation

In British Columbia (BC), Family Day is a statutory (public) holiday that is celebrated the second Monday in February each year. On Monday, February 13, 2017, British Columbians will be celebrating their fifth Family Day.

Statutory (public) holiday

To be eligible for this statutory holiday, an employee must have been employed for 30 calendar days before the statutory holiday, and must have worked or earned wages on 15 of the 30 days immediately before the statutory holiday. Note: Employees who work under an averaging agreement or variance at any time in the 30 days before the holiday do not have to meet the 15–day requirement.

An employee who is entitled to a statutory holiday must be paid at least an “average day’s pay”. An eligible employee is entitled to be paid an average day’s pay, when an employee is given a day off on a statutory holiday, or it falls on a regular day off. When an eligible employee works on a statutory holiday, they are entitled to be paid time–and–a–half for the first 12 hours worked and double-time for any work over 12 hours, plus an average day’s pay.

Calculating an average day’s pay: Divide “total wages” earned in the 30 calendar days before the statutory holiday by the number of days worked. Note: Vacation days taken during this period count as days worked.

“Total wages” include wages, commissions, statutory holiday pay and vacation pay, but not overtime pay.

Where an employee is not eligible for statutory holiday pay, they are not entitled to be paid an average day’s pay. If an ineligible employee works on a statutory holiday they may be paid as if it were a regular work day.

Note: Some employees may be exempt from statutory holiday entitlements under BCs Employment Standards Act. For specific legislative requirements and entitlements to Family Day, consult our payroll publication PaySource, which is a comprehensive source for Canadian payroll compliance information. Click here to try PaySource free for 30 days!

The other provinces and federally regulated workplaces

Family Day (under various names) is also recognized by other provinces: Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Saskatchewan. These provinces celebrate Family Day on the third Monday in February each year; February 20, 2017 is the third Monday. Be sure to check–out our blog next week for further information on Family Day in these provinces.

Provincial employment standards legislation does not apply to employees of federally regulated businesses (i.e., banks, telecommunications companies, railways and airlines) or to federal civil servants. These employers are covered by the Canada Labour Code, which does not provide for Family Day. However, federally regulated employers can, at their discretion, add Family Day as a public holiday or floater day in workplace policies.

Celebrating Family Day

Take the time to enjoy the day with family and friends! Click here to find events that are taking place in your community.

Also, you can use the hashtag #BCFamilyDay to join in on Family Day discussions!

Cristina Lavecchia

Editor at First Reference Inc.

Cristina is an editor and researcher at First Reference. She is a licensed paralegal and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree, Political Science major at York University. During Cristina's paralegal and undergraduate studies she studied employment standards, occupational health and safety, and workplace safety and insurance. Read more