British Columbia court holidays
The days that count as holidays when a British Columbia court deadline is computed. This is not the federal list and it is not the employment-standards list, which is where a miscounted deadline usually starts.
- New Year's DayThursday 1 January
- Family DayMonday 16 February
- Good FridayFriday 3 April
- Easter MondayMonday 6 April
- Victoria DayMonday 18 May
- Canada DayWednesday 1 July
- British Columbia DayMonday 3 August
- Labour DayMonday 7 September
- National Day for Truth and ReconciliationWednesday 30 September
- Thanksgiving DayMonday 12 October
- Remembrance DayWednesday 11 November
- Christmas DayFriday 25 December
- Boxing DaySaturday 26 December
Questions this page answers
- How many court holidays does British Columbia have in 2026?
- 13. The holidays are New Year's Day, Family Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, British Columbia Day, Labour Day, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Thanksgiving Day, Remembrance Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. This list was last checked against the official consolidation on 12 August 2026, and the instrument behind it is cited at the foot of the page.
- Are Boxing Day, British Columbia Day and Family Day court holidays in British Columbia?
- Yes. Boxing Day, British Columbia Day and Family Day count as holidays when a British Columbia court deadline is computed. They do not appear on the federal court holiday list at all, so the same date can be a day that comes out of the count in British Columbia and an ordinary working day in the Federal Court. A firm that appears in both cannot count off one list for both.
- Are these the days the British Columbia courts are closed?
- Not quite, and the difference matters. This is the list a court uses when it computes time, set by Interpretation Act, RSBC 1996, c 238, s. 29. Which days a registry has its doors open is a separate question with a separate answer: a local closure, or a day proclaimed after any list was published, binds you whatever a published list says, and a day the doors are shut is not necessarily a day that comes out of the arithmetic.
Where this list comes from
The days defined as holidays in s. 29 of the Interpretation Act (British Columbia): Sunday, Christmas Day, Good Friday and Easter Monday; Canada Day, Victoria Day, British Columbia Day, Labour Day, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Remembrance Day, Family Day and New Year's Day; 26 December; and any day appointed as a day of prayer, mourning, rejoicing or thanksgiving, for the Sovereign's birthday, or as a public holiday. The definition grants no substitute days at all, and the Supreme Court Civil Rules define no holiday list of their own, so nothing here moves for a weekend.
Every instrument below was opened and the provision quoted from it read on 12 August 2026. Anything amended since that date is not reflected here, and the dates are generated from a table in this site's source code rather than read live from the statute.
- Interpretation Act, RSBC 1996, c 238, s. 29The definition of holiday, in the general list of expressions defined. Note that Saturday is not in it, and that no paragraph grants a substitute day.
- Supreme Court Civil Rules, BC Reg 168/2009Cited for what it does not say. The Rules use the word holiday but Rule 1-1 defines no list of their own, so s. 29 governs. They do separately define a business day as a day the registries are open, which is a different question again.
The table cannot know about a day proclaimed after it was written, a closure at your own courthouse, or an amendment to the underlying rules. Confirm any date that a limitation period or a filing deadline depends on.
This page is published for general information. It is not legal advice, it does not create a solicitor-client relationship, and no retainer arises from reading it. To the fullest extent the law allows, Yehuda Levy accepts no liability for any loss arising from reliance on it. You are responsible for verifying every date against the rules and the court in question.
Counting a deadline around these days
The deadline calculator counts calendar or business days from a triggering date with this list already taken out. Freeboard does the same inside the matter and keeps each firm’s own list, so the days it counts are the ones your court actually observes.