A Guide for Expats to Public holidays in Vancouver

There are nine statutory holidays observed in British Columbia. They are:

New Year’s Day—start of the New Year (Gregorian Calendar), January 1st
Good Friday—commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus, Friday before Easter Sunday
Victoria Day—celebrates the Queen’s birthday (Both Queen Victoria and the current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II), Monday on or before May 24th
Canada Day—celebrates the unification of Canada under Confederation in 1867, July 1st
BC Day—civic holiday, first Monday in August
Labour Day—commemorates economic and social achievements of workers, first Monday in September
Thanksgiving–a day to give thanks at the end of the harvest season, 2nd Monday in October
Remembrance Day—commemorates war veterans, dead and living, November 11th
Christmas Day—celebrates the birth of Jesus, December 25th

There are three more holidays* that are observed by many, but are not statutory (schools are off and some employers give paid time off):

Easter Sunday—celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, two days after Good Friday, between April 4th and May 8th
Easter Monday—celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, day after Easter Sunday
Boxing Day—commemorates the Feast of St. Stephen, December 26th

BC Statutory Holidays 2011-2014

*Additional holidays are observed but are not generally paid time off; these will be listed in subsequent sections

01	Learn the city’s streets and neighborhoods before arriving in Canada. It will help your confidence and prevent you from being mistaken for a tou
02	Research and possibly decide upon schools for your children before arriving.
03	Try to budget for the cost of living in Vancouver before arriving. Many people find living here more expensive than they expected.
04	Get to know Metro Vancouver’s transit system before you arrive. A thorough knowledge of how the system works before you arrive will be invaluabl
05	Because it is difficult to determine, ahead of time, which part of the city you will want to settle in, you should try to stay in a hotel at first.

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