Queen's funeral holiday: What's open and closed across Canada on Sept. 19

In honour of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral service, the federal government has declared a federal holiday and a national day of mourning on Monday, Sept. 19.

“We have…chosen to move forward with a federal holiday on Monday,” PM Trudeau said at a news conference Tuesday morning.

Some provinces and territories, including Manitoba, British Columbia, Nunavut, and Yukon, followed suit and designated Monday a holiday for some workers.

British Columbia and Alberta have also declared Sept. 19 as a provincial day of mourning. On the other hand, Ontario didn’t declare Sept. 19 as a provincial holiday but a ‘day or mourning’. Quebec will hold a commemoration day but there won’t be a provincial holiday on the day. Saskatchewan will also not be declaring it a provincial day.

Here is what you can expect:

Canada

All the services employed by federal employees will be unavailable. This includes all Service Canada offices and Canada Post.

“There will be no mail collection or delivery and our post offices will be closed on Monday, September 19,” Canada Post wrote in a Tweet.

All the banks across the country will be open for normal business on the day, the Canadian Bankers Association (CBA) has announced.

However, while Sept. 19 is not a statutory holiday, businesses can still choose to recognize it as a day of mourning and may be shut.

Ontario

Since Ontario didn’t declare Sept. 19 a provincial holiday, businesses will run as usual. There will be no impact on City Services, liquor stores, malls, grocery stores, etc.

Toronto will have several observances on the day and several commemorations will take place across the city.

Alberta

Alberta has declared Sept. 19 as a provincial day of mourning. However, it is not being treated as a statutory holiday.

People are invited to attend an outdoor ceremony and a moment of silence at 10 a.m. and workplaces, schools, offices, and retail stores are encouraged to observe a moment of silence.

All businesses will be operating as usual on the day.

British Columbia

The B.C. government followed the federal government’s lead and declared a day of mourning to mark the Queen’s funeral.

Government services and corporations will be closed, along with public schools from kindergarten to post-secondary. The Premier also encouraged private employees to to find ways to reflect on the day.

Atlantic Canada

All four Atlantic provinces have recognized Sept. 19 as a provincial holiday and a day of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II. All schools and government offices will be closed, but the holiday is optional for private-sector employees.

In a statement, P.E.I. officials have said that “Provincial government offices, schools in the Public Schools Branch, and la Commission scolaire de langue française will be closed for the day.” Cannabis and liquor stores will also be shut. Public libraries will be shut in P.E.I. as well.

In Nova Scotia, “provincial government offices, public schools and regulated child care will be closed.” Healthcare services, appointments and procedures will remain operational across the province.

Manitoba

In Manitoba, all non-essential government services and offices will be closed for the day.

"Schools will remain open and classes will be in session, and child-care facilities will also be open. The health-care system will continue to operate as usual," a statement read.

The premier also encouraged all schools to observe a moment of silence on the day.

Nunavut

In Nunavut, all Government of Nunavut offices and agencies will be closed for the day.

The government has not announced any public schools in the territory will close, but it is inviting private businesses and employers to close in observance of the holiday.

Quebec

Quebec Premier François Legault has said that while the day will be commemorated, it will not be a statutory holiday in the province and he will continue campaigning in the provincial election.

Saskatchewan

In Saskatchewan, while Sept. 19 is being proclaimed to honour Queen Elizabeth II, it has not been designated as a provincial public statutory holiday.

Yukon

All K—12 public schools and other public-facing industries in the territory will be closed for the day. The Yukon government is also encouraging private sector employees and organizations to observe the day of mourning in "ways that are suitable for their employees and operations". Some municipal services and private businesses may opt to close.

Other Commonwealth countries have already announced holidays to commemorate the Queen’s passing: the United Kingdom will have a bank holiday Monday for the funeral, marking the final day of the 10 days of mourning, and Australia and New Zealand will have public holidays on Sept. 22 and 26, respectively.