Remembrance Day 2026: Where Canada Closes
Remembrance Day, Wednesday 11 November, is a holiday in six provinces and for federally regulated employers. Nova Scotia and Manitoba close most shops by law, and Ontario and Quebec work as normal.
Remembrance Day is Wednesday 11 November. How much of the country shuts down depends on the province. It’s a statutory holiday in most of western and Atlantic Canada and for federally regulated employers. Nova Scotia and Manitoba close most shops by law. In Ontario and Quebec it’s a normal working day.
Province by province
| Province | Status on 11 November |
|---|---|
| Federally regulated employers | General holiday under the Canada Labour Code |
| British Columbia | Statutory holiday |
| Alberta | General holiday |
| Saskatchewan | Public holiday |
| Manitoba | Not a general holiday, but most industries can’t operate. Retail must close 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Restaurants and hotels may open. |
| Ontario | Not a public holiday under the Employment Standards Act |
| Quebec | Not a statutory holiday |
| New Brunswick | Paid public holiday |
| Nova Scotia | Retail closing day. Most grocery stores, big box stores and malls close, and alcohol sales are banned before noon. Not automatically paid. |
| Prince Edward Island | Paid holiday |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Paid public holiday |
Nova Scotia allows stand-alone drug stores, service stations, hospitality businesses and stores with no more than three people working at a time to open. Businesses that are open must pause for three minutes from 10:59 a.m. Manitoba also exempts pharmacies, gas stations and businesses selling prepared meals from the morning retail closure. Performances there can’t run between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. unless they’re tied to a commemorative or religious service.
Canada Post lists Remembrance Day as a national holiday, with no mail collection or delivery. Privately run post offices keep the hours of their host business.
The national ceremony in Ottawa
The Royal Canadian Legion runs the National Remembrance Day Ceremony at the National War Memorial. Two minutes of silence are observed at 11:00 a.m. Ottawa Tourism lists a start time of about 10:45 a.m. In its guidance for last year’s ceremony, the Legion gave an earlier start of about 10:30 a.m., with veterans gathering outside the Château Laurier and a march past at 11:30 a.m. The Legion says the City of Ottawa restricts road access around the memorial before and during the ceremony, and national networks carry it live.
Travel implications
- Midweek, not a long weekend. Falling on a Wednesday, the day won’t create a holiday surge like a Monday holiday would.
- Atlantic and Manitoba mornings are quiet. Clients in Halifax will find most shops shut all day, and in Winnipeg until 1 p.m. Restaurants and hotels are open, and in Nova Scotia bars and other licensed venues can’t serve alcohol until noon.
- Toronto and Montréal run as usual. Business travel and meetings go ahead.
Sources
- Government of Canada, Annual vacations and general holidays for federally regulated employers
- Government of British Columbia, Statutory holidays 2026
- Government of Alberta, Alberta general holidays
- Government of Saskatchewan, List of Saskatchewan public holidays
- Manitoba Employment Standards, Remembrance Day fact sheet, 4 Nov 2021
- Government of Ontario, Your guide to the Employment Standards Act: Public holidays
- CNESST, Statutory holidays in Quebec
- Government of New Brunswick, Paid public holidays, vacation time and pay
- Government of Nova Scotia, Remembrance Day
- Government of PEI, 2025 Employment Standards Guide
- Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Remembrance Day: province's sixth paid public holiday, 6 Nov 2002
- Royal Canadian Legion, The National Remembrance Day Ceremony in Ottawa
- Ottawa Tourism, National Remembrance Day Ceremony, 11 Nov 2026
- Canada Post, Holiday schedule
Where to stay near National War Memorial, Ottawa
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Casie Stewart is Senior Editor at Not An Atlas, usually found in a Toronto coffee shop in a cute outfit, laptop open, coffee in hand and phone (always) within arm's reach. Some of her warmest memories are of fishing and camping in New Zealand's Bay of Islands with her family as a kid. She's a New Zealand citizen, and it will always feel like home. She takes the window seat (she wants to see the world, not the beverage cart), swears by her Trtl travel pillow (comfort over cool, always) and orders whatever the locals are having. Waking up to the sounds of the rainforest in the middle of the Costa Rican jungle is her “this is why I travel” moment, and Arizona's deserts and sunsets are where she'd go back tomorrow. She covers the places, people, food and festivals that make a destination memorable. Friends say funny, effervescent and organized. Her mum adds cuddly. Next stop: Bali.
