Canadian Payroll Reporter

5 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2017 Statutory Holiday Date in 2017 Jurisdiction New Year's Day Sun., Jan. 1 All jurisdictions Family Day Mon., Feb. 13 British Columbia Family Day Mon., Feb. 20 Alberta, Manitoba (Louis Riel Day), Nova Scotia (Heritage Day), Ontario, P.E.I. (Islander Day) and Saskatchewan Good Friday Fri., Apr. 14 All jurisdictions (In Quebec, employers may choose to observe the holiday on Good Friday or Easter Monday. In some jurisdictions, retail business law requires commercial establishments to close on Easter Monday.) Victoria Day Mon., May 22 Victoria Day is a statutory holiday under the Canada Labour Code and in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Ontario, Quebec (National Patriot's Day), Saskatchewan and Yukon National Aboriginal Day Wed., Jun. 21 Northwest Territories only National Holiday Sat., Jun. 24 Quebec only Canada Day Sat., Jul. 1 All jurisdictions (Memorial Day in Newfoundland and Labrador) First Monday in August Mon., Aug. 7 Statutory holiday in British Columbia, New Brunswick, Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Saskatchewan (It is also a holiday, although not a statutory holiday, in Alberta. Municipal jurisdictions in other parts of Canada may also designate the day as a holiday.) Discovery Day Mon., Aug. 21 Yukon only Labour Day Mon., Sept. 4 All jurisdictions Thanksgiving Mon., Oct. 9 Thanksgiving Day is a statutory holiday under the Canada Labour Code and in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan and Yukon. In other jurisdictions, retail businesses may be prohibited from opening under business holidays legislation. Remembrance Day Sat., Nov. 11 Remembrance Day is a statutory holiday under the Canada Labour Code and in Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan and Yukon. In Manitoba and Nova Scotia, Remembrance Day is a statutory holiday under the Remembrance Day Act in each jurisdiction. Christmas Day Mon., Dec. 25 All jurisdictions Boxing Day Tues., Dec. 26 Boxing Day is a statutory holiday under the Canada Labour Code and in Ontario (In New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Quebec (until 1:00 p.m.), the day is a retail holiday and is covered under business holidays legislation.) CPR | January 2017 ASK AN EXPERT Annie Chong MANAGER OF CARSWELL'S PAYROLL CONSULTING GROUP annie.chong@thomsonsreuters.com | (416) 298-5085 2017 statutory holidays QUESTION: We are preparing our payroll calendar for the year. Could you provide a list of statutory holidays in Canadian jurisdictions for 2017? ANSWER: Here is a listing of statutory holidays for 2017. Please note the following chart is not a full list of holidays in all Canadian provinc- es/territories. In some jurisdictions, there are also holi- days that apply to public-sector employers and others that apply only in certain mu- nicipalities. • The threshold for determin- ing whether to use Revenu Québec's bonus method to calculate income tax source deductions on bonuses and retroactive pay increased from $14,450 to $14,550 for 2017. Labour Standards Levy: On Jan. 1, the government low- ered the rate used to calculate its labour standards levy from 0.08 per cent to 0.07 per cent. Employ- ers who have employees work- ing in Quebec are subject to the levy, which helps to finance the labour standards component of the Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST). The maxi- mum amount subject to the levy increased from $71,500 per em- ployee to $72,500 for 2017. HSF: On Jan. 1, the government re- duced the Health Services Fund (HSF) contribution rate for small and medium-size businesses (SMBs) whose total annual pay- roll is less than $5 million. For eligible employers in the primary and manufacturing sec- tors, the following HSF rate re- ductions apply: • For SMBs whose total an- nual payroll is no more than $1 million, the HSF rate de- creased from 1.6 per cent to 1.55 per cent. The change is part of a plan to gradually re- duce the HSF rate to 1.45 per cent by 2021. • For SMBs whose total annual payroll is more than $1 mil- lion, but less than $5 million, partial rate reductions ap- ply. For 2017, the HSF rate is based on the formula 0.8725 per cent + (0.6775 per cent × employer's total payroll for the year)/$1 million. For other SMBs, the following HSF rate reductions apply: • For SMBs whose total annual payroll is no more than $1 mil- lion, the HSF rate decreased from 2.7 per cent to 2.5 per cent. The government will gradually reduce the rate to 2.0 per cent by 2021. • For SMBs whose total annual payroll is more than $1 million, but less than $5 million, partial rate reductions apply. For 2017, the HSF rate is based on the for- mula 2.06 per cent + (0.44 per cent × employer's total payroll for the year)/$1 million. The HSF contribution rate re- mains 4.26 per cent for employ- ers whose total annual payroll is $5 million or more. What to watch for this year: In jurisdictions that index their minimum wage rates, payroll professionals can expect mini- mum wage changes this year. Nova Scotia and Yukon change their rates Apr. 1, while Ontario and Saskatchewan implement rate changes Oct. 1. Federal and provincial/territorial budgets could bring further changes. Government budgets could bring further changes from WATCH FOR on page 2

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