Employment standards by province: a plain guide for Canadian employers

Minimum wage, overtime, public holidays, vacation pay, probation, notice, final pay, Record of Employment deadlines and hiring rules for all 13 provinces and territories plus federally regulated employers. Checked against official government sources on 7 October 2026.

Minimum wage by province (general adult rate)

You cannot pay less than the minimum wage where the work is done. Rates change on a schedule, so check the date. As of 7 October 2026:

Quebec's tipped-employee rate is lower ($13.30). Some provinces set different rates for specific groups. No minimum wage in this table changes on 1 January.

Rules by province: overtime, holidays, vacation, termination notice

Employment standards are set by each province and territory. Employers in federally regulated industries (for example banks, airlines, interprovincial trucking and telecommunications) follow the Canada Labour Code instead. These figures are minimums. You can offer more, not less. Checked against official government sources on 7 October 2026.

Quebec's official page labels its 3-week vacation row "3 years" without saying whether that means after completing 3 years. For Prince Edward Island the Act says 5 or more years and the province's web page says more than 5 years; for New Brunswick the Act says 8 or more years and the web page says more than 8. Confirm the exact year with the provincial office.

Many managers, supervisors and some other roles are excluded from overtime, and the exclusions differ by province. Nova Scotia has announced it plans to lower its overtime threshold to 44 hours a week from 1 April 2027. The bill was tabled on 8 September 2026 and had not passed when we checked. Sources are listed under official sources.

Pay frequency and final pay

Probation, in plain terms

Employment standards laws in most of Canada do not set a standard probation period. What they set is the point at which an employer must give written notice or pay in lieu before ending someone's employment without cause. Before that point, notice is not owed. After it, notice generally is. The points are: federal 3 months; Nova Scotia 3 months; New Brunswick 6 months; Prince Edward Island 90 days; Newfoundland and Labrador 3 months; Quebec 3 months; Ontario 3 months; Manitoba 30 days; Saskatchewan 13 weeks; Alberta 90 days; British Columbia 3 months; Yukon 6 months; Northwest Territories 90 days; Nunavut 90 days.

If you set a probation period in a contract, keep it no longer than your province's point above. A longer period does not by itself remove the notice the law requires. Probation does not change human rights, wage, overtime or leave entitlements. Get advice before using a longer period.

Minimum termination notice (without cause), by length of service

Written notice, or pay in lieu, is owed once the employee has passed the point in probation and notice by province. The minimums are:

Just cause, resignation, and certain fixed-term or seasonal arrangements are treated differently in each province. Group terminations have separate rules. Common-law notice for a longer-service employee can be higher than these statutory minimums, so get advice before ending someone's employment.

Record of Employment (ROE) timing

Issue a Record of Employment when an employee has had, or is expected to have, 7 consecutive days with no work and no insurable earnings. Deadlines (Service Canada):

• Paper ROE: within 5 calendar days of the first day of the interruption, or the day you learn of it.
• Electronic ROE, weekly, biweekly or semi-monthly pay: within 5 calendar days after the end of the pay period in which the interruption occurs.
• Electronic ROE, monthly pay: the earlier of 5 calendar days after the end of the pay period, or 15 calendar days after the first day of the interruption.

Keep your copy for 6 years. For employer-paid sick, maternity, parental or compassionate care payments, the ROE is completed after those payments end.

Pay in job postings

Some provinces require you to state the pay or pay range in a public job posting. As of 7 October 2026:

Quebec job offers must be written in French. Check the current rule for your province before you post.

Before you post or interview: rules that differ by province

Unpaid working interviews and trial shifts that involve real work are not allowed in Ontario, British Columbia or Alberta.

Questions to avoid

Hiring questions should be about the job. Human rights law in every province and territory protects people from being treated differently because of things like age, family status, disability, religion, race, place of origin, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. The list of protected grounds differs a little by province, so check yours.

Stay away from questions like these:

• "How old are you?" or "When did you finish high school?"
• "Do you have kids?" or "Are you planning a family?" The Ontario Human Rights Commission says an employer cannot ask whether an applicant is pregnant or plans to have a family.
• "Where are you from originally?" You can ask: "Are you legally entitled to work in Canada?"
• "Do you have any health problems?" You can ask: "This job involves [a real duty]. Can you do that, with or without accommodation?"
• "What do you make now?" Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island do not allow employers to ask about pay history. Asking what pay the person expects is fine.
• Questions about the hours a person can work that mention family or religious commitments. Ask only whether they can work the hours the job needs, and state those hours.

Criminal record and driving record: wait until you have made a conditional offer, and ask only for what the job needs. Manitoba and Newfoundland and Labrador guidance says to wait until a conditional offer. Quebec's rights commission says a conviction counts only if it is connected to the job. Ontario's commission says you may ask only about convictions that have not been pardoned, and that a driver's licence number or copy may be requested only after a conditional offer and only if relevant.

This is general information, not legal advice. Rules differ by province. Human rights bodies: see the official sources.

How long to keep records

Keep recruitment and employment records long enough to meet the rules for your province. What we could confirm from official sources as of 7 October 2026:

Privacy law also limits how long you may hold candidate information. Set a retention period for unsuccessful applicants and tell them what it is.

Changes coming up

No figure on this page changes on 1 January 2027. These are the scheduled or proposed changes we know of:

Official sources

Employment standards (use the one for the province or territory where the work is done):

• Federal (Canada Labour Code)
• Nova Scotia Labour Standards Code guide
• New Brunswick
• Prince Edward Island
• Newfoundland and Labrador: Your Rights at Work
• Quebec (CNESST)
• Ontario
• Manitoba
• Saskatchewan
• Alberta
• British Columbia
• Yukon
• Northwest Territories
• Nunavut

Human rights and the duty to accommodate (your province's body applies unless you are federally regulated):

• Federally regulated employers: Canadian Human Rights Commission
• Ontario Human Rights Commission
• British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal
• Alberta Human Rights Commission
• Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission
• Manitoba Human Rights Commission
• Quebec Human Rights Commission
• New Brunswick Human Rights Commission
• Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission
• Prince Edward Island Human Rights Commission
• Newfoundland and Labrador Human Rights Commission
• Yukon Human Rights Commission
• Northwest Territories Human Rights Commission
• Nunavut Human Rights Tribunal

Job classification: National Occupational Classification

General information for employers, not legal advice. Checked against official government sources on 7 October 2026. If a rule matters to a decision, confirm it with your provincial employment standards office or an employment lawyer.

Questions