Canada Annual Leave

Gossipgal

Hi All

Did a search on this but couldn't find any dedicated threads. I am planning on applying for the IEC whenever it opens (as is everybody else it seems!) and I just today came across that Canada just has 10 days statutory Annual Leave with some companies offering 15 days. 10 days is a massive reduction on what I currently have (20 in Australia) and compared with the UK where I was also considering on going which has 25.

Very keen to hear from people who are in Canada and their take on it. Do you have to take compulsory days over Christmas that eat into this time or do you find companies willing to grant unpaid leave?

Feedback much appreciated as for me this is a pretty big deal as I would be looking to visit home every now and then as well as getting a holiday in.

Kev_2012

Gossipgal wrote: »

Hi All

Did a search on this but couldn't find any dedicated threads. I am planning on applying for the IEC whenever it opens (as is everybody else it seems!) and I just today came across that Canada just has 10 days statutory Annual Leave with some companies offering 15 days. 10 days is a massive reduction on what I currently have (20 in Australia) and compared with the UK where I was also considering on going which has 25.

Very keen to hear from people who are in Canada and their take on it. Do you have to take compulsory days over Christmas that eat into this time or do you find companies willing to grant unpaid leave?

Feedback much appreciated as for me this is a pretty big deal as I would be looking to visit home every now and then as well as getting a holiday in.

I only get 10days a year, but there is a bank holiday every month except march in BC and I didn't need to use any holidays at Xmas and got 13 days off. Its not too bad!

Loblox

I get two weeks for general offness, might use those to go to my niece's confirmation. I also got from Dec 20th to Jan 6th off. Since the rest of the office got stuck in the weather, the boss gave me an extra day off because there was no point going in.

Gossipgal

Hi Loblox, so does that mean you had 2 weeks off at Christmas with no impact on your leave or you just got time off for the weather. If you get 10 days on top of 2 weeks at Christmas then it's not so bad.

JamesTC

Its crap but what can you do, I get 10 days where I am (Calgary) but Christmas does not eat into that, the office closes for a week over Christmas so I typically head home for 3 weeks+ any overtime I can take off in lieu (which is the one good thing, banking overtime hours) our office has a policy of giving you an extra week for every 5 years you are with the company but I know of people in other industries who got 15 days from the start, 10 is just the minimum.

NewsMeQuick

Kev_2012 wrote: »

I only get 10days a year, but there is a bank holiday every month except march in BC and I didn't need to use any holidays at Xmas and got 13 days off. Its not too bad!

Hi buddy, so you get appx 10 + 11 + 13 last year? Do you get paid for bank holidays or the Christmas time?

If that's normal-ish for BC, that is good indeed! Heading to Van myself in March if the IEC goes OK. :rolleyes:

Kev_2012

NewsMeQuick wrote: »

Hi buddy, so you get appx 10 + 11 + 13 last year? Do you get paid for bank holidays or the Christmas time?

If that's normal-ish for BC, that is good indeed! Heading to Van myself in March if the IEC goes OK. :rolleyes:

I'm a software engineer and on a salary so the office is closed and our company doesn't take holidays from you for Xmas so ya I get paid the same no matter what. Its grand! Yeah van is class but they takes ages to get back about jobs and wages aren't fantastic!

Loblox

Gossipgal wrote: »

Hi Loblox, so does that mean you had 2 weeks off at Christmas with no impact on your leave or you just got time off for the weather. If you get 10 days on top of 2 weeks at Christmas then it's not so bad.

The office closed the 20th to the 5th. But since I was the only one in the city on the 6th, my boss said I didn't need to go in. I still have my 2 weeks of general being off.

CBCB2

I think it really depends on the Province. I'm in Ontario, the legal leave here is 10 days.

It's the same as BC there's a bank holiday every month except March.

Most professional or office jobs start with 12-15 days and from what I've seen lots of places have schemes to increase leave days with service.

However, be careful of government jobs. I'm working in a government job and signed to have 15 days but the position is covered by a Union. Nobody let me know at the time that the union had agreed to cut vacation by 6 days a year. I only found out when I'd used all my leave at the end of December and they're not making me take 6 days unpaid this year.

I'm still trying to find out if there is anything I can do about this. I mean it worked out the best for me, I don't mind taking the unpaid days. But I've been warned not to use my leave this year (I would like to point out my manager signed off on all leave I took!) until I've worked up my 6 days. So basically I'm earning 1.25 days a month so it'll be 6 months before I can take leave as I 'owe' 6 days for this year.

I've questioned it with everyone I can and they all seem to think that you'd have to be living under a rock not to know these agreements are in place!!!

So moral of the story is if taking a government job check the union agreements first!!

montreal2011

10 days is all the legal minimum. I expect those who get Christmas off due office being closed are unpaid holidays?

As others have said, for office workers especially, you can bank your overtime hours to be used as paid vacation hours.

Also, in offices, it's usually ok to take unpaid days off when needed.

You will find a lot of places will give 15 days as standard, but I expect that places that give more than that paid, are few.

We're not so lucky in Quebec with the bank-holidays, maybe about 7 or 8 compared to 10 or 11 in places like Ontario and BC.

Government staff in all provinces will usually get them all these bank holidays off.

sashafierce

This post has been deleted.

ciaran67

Gossipgal wrote: »

Hi All

Did a search on this but couldn't find any dedicated threads. I am planning on applying for the IEC whenever it opens (as is everybody else it seems!) and I just today came across that Canada just has 10 days statutory Annual Leave with some companies offering 15 days. 10 days is a massive reduction on what I currently have (20 in Australia) and compared with the UK where I was also considering on going which has 25.

Very keen to hear from people who are in Canada and their take on it. Do you have to take compulsory days over Christmas that eat into this time or do you find companies willing to grant unpaid leave?

Feedback much appreciated as for me this is a pretty big deal as I would be looking to visit home every now and then as well as getting a holiday in.

You can always ask for more when your starting. I know a few people who went up to 4 weeks from 3 when being offered the job.