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OPENING HOURS, TIME ZONES AND HOLIDAYS |
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Most shops and supermarkets open from about 9am to 5.30pm Monday to Saturday, though in bigger towns and cities supermarkets and malls may open as early as 7.30am and close around 9pm. Enforced Sunday closing of shops, bars and restaurants operates over much of the country, but a growing number of provinces now have limited Sunday hours, usually 9am to 5pm, particularly in touristy areas. As a general rule, between BC and Québec there are limited Sunday opening hours; and east of Québec shops will be shut on Sunday. Many retail shops open late on Thursday and Friday evenings. In cities you usually find a pharmacist open 24 hours and there's often a convenience store like Mac's or 7-11 that's open around the clock.
Time of year makes a big difference to opening times of
information centres, museums
and other attractions, most of which, particularly in remote areas, have shorter winter hours or close altogether from late September to mid-May. In cities, more upmarket
restaurants
usually open from around noon to 11pm, longer at weekends; many diner-type places, however, close around 8pm, and small-town restaurants tend to close early too. Opening regulations for
bars
- often part of a hotel or restaurant - vary tremendously from province to province; most open daily from 10am to 1am, but in certain areas all bars except a few hotel lounges are shut on Sunday.
National holidays
New Year's Day (Jan 1)
Good Friday
Easter Sunday
Easter Monday
Victoria Day (third Mon in May)
Canada Day (July 1)
Labour Day (first Mon in Sept)
Thanksgiving (second Mon in Oct)
Remembrance Day (Nov 11)
Christmas Day (Dec 25)
...
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Provincial holidays
Alberta
Alberta Family Day (third Mon in Feb); Heritage Day (first Mon in Aug).
British Columbia
British Columbia Day (first Monday in August).
New Brunswick
New Brunswick Day (first Mon in Aug).
...
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Time zones
Canada has six time zones, but only 4.5hrs separate Newfoundland from British Columbia. Newfoundland is on Newfoundland Standard Time (3hr 30min behind GMT); the Maritimes and Labrador are on Atlantic Standard Time (4hr behind GMT); Québec and most of...
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Festivals and events
For further details of the selected festivals and events listed below, including more precise dates, see the relevant page of the
Guide
, or contact the local authorities direct. The provincial tourist offices
can provide free...
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Holidays
Banks, schools and government buildings all over the country close on Canada's
national holidays
, and within specific regions on the
provincial holidays
that fall on certain - often moveable - days throughout the year. Many shops,...
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