This is the minimum in BC from the employment standards act.
Entitlement to annual vacation

57 (1) An employer must give an employee an annual vacation of

(a) at least 2 weeks, after 12 consecutive months of employment, or

(b) at least 3 weeks, after 5 consecutive years of employment.

(2) An employer must ensure an employee takes an annual vacation within 12 months after completing the year of employment entitling the employee to the vacation.

(3) An employer must allow an employee who is entitled to an annual vacation to take it in periods of one or more weeks.

(4) An annual vacation is exclusive of statutory holidays that an employee is entitled to.
Vacation pay

58 (1) An employer must pay an employee the following amount of vacation pay:

(a) after 5 calendar days of employment, at least 4% of the employee's total wages during the year of employment entitling the employee to the vacation pay;

(b) after 5 consecutive years of employment, at least 6% of the employee's total wages during the year of employment entitling the employee to the vacation pay.

(2) Vacation pay must be paid to an employee

(a) at least 7 days before the beginning of the employee's annual vacation, or

(b) on the employee's scheduled paydays, if

(i) agreed in writing by the employer and the employee, or

(ii) provided by the collective agreement.

(3) Any vacation pay an employee is entitled to when the employment terminates must be paid to the employee at the time set by section 18 for paying wages.
Other payments or benefits do not affect vacation rights

59 (1) An employer must not reduce an employee's annual vacation or vacation pay because the employee

(a) was paid a bonus or sick pay, or

(b) was previously given a longer annual vacation than the minimum required under section 57.

(2) Despite subsection (1) (b), an employer may reduce an employee's annual vacation or vacation pay because at the written request of the employee the employer allowed the employee to take an annual vacation in advance.

My 1st Employer here started 10 days std, 15 after 5 years, 20 after 10, 25 after 15, 30 after 20 which was the max.

Current Employer 10 days to start, 15 after 5 years, thats it.

Both have been fine with unpaid leave (a must here when on 2 weeks leave).

However all my Canadian friends in proffessional jobs like mine negotiate (Im still getting used to that concept a bit) and have anything from 4-8 weeks depending on their age, proffession and how bolshy they are.

I think its the norm here that the older you get/more time with a company the more paid leave you get. Defo advise negotioating for as much as you can get - whats the worst they can say? - No!

I've never had paid vacation and it would seem wrong now to take one. My OH doesn't get paid vacation either so it all depends on the industry and the employer's attitude to benefits.

15 Days to start, rising to 20 days after 7 years service and 25 after 15 years.

We get 12 public holidays a year.

Say what you like: it's still pants in comparison to the UK but a lot better than most over here.

Oh, and that's with local government.

5 weeks plus the days between Chrimbo and New Years. Negotiated, private sector.

Suck it up, bitches

R.

Well i have been informed that i have to work 12 months before i'd be entitled to 20 days. I get my dental, doctor, and other health benefits paid for. But remember the company will make out that this is for free.

Nothing in life is free, i still have to wait 3 months before i get these benefits and it still comes out of my wages.

You can't just come into the country and demand annual leave i have been told it has to be earned.

So England does have its benefits, which i am missing at the moment, but i guess i can't have my cake and eat it.

I get the Christmas week as per Rich, plus 20 days, plus stats. So about 4.5 weeks off the bat not including the stats, and I didn't have to negotiate that hard for it. Plus they seem to have a healthy attitude toward work/life balance, time in lieu and unpaid leave, should I want more than my allowance.

Oh, and the missus gets over four weeks in the healthcare sector too.

So it's not all doom and gloom, and according to those I interviewed with whilst looking, times they are a changing and holiday allowances in general are starting to creep up.

Unlike the States: I got offered a job in California, starting holiday was 8 days, rising to 10 in the second year. I laughed.

To be honest this all sounds much better than I was imagining. I thought it was going to be 2 weeks and that's it ... I wouldn't mind unpaid holidays if this is pretty much the norm and it means more than 2 weeks is possible.

Thanks for all the responses.


P.S. What are statutory holidays?

Varies according to province, but most cross Canada employers will balance it out so that you get 12 days regardless of which province.

Are these holidays including bank holidays?????????

I get 2 weeks + Christmas to New Year + Bank holidays
Extra time worked as liu days.
Then it goes up to 3 weeks + the others

4 weeks vacation (previous related experience taken into account) 10 personal days off (I have to take the 3 between xmas and new year, shame ) and all the stats available including rememberance day etc... So a total of 41 days off a year - in blighty I had 38...

Cheers

DOBBIE

Statutory Holidays are what you would call Bank Holidays.

As G77 said they vary from province to province most mandate nine of them but some employers offer more, I had 11 with my previous employer.

Here's a website with them listed for each one.http://www.statutoryholidayscanada.com/

Stat holidays and bank holidays are the same thing (Statutory holidays)

Unpaid leave is not the norm in most organisations. Causes too much disruption and expense either in productivity terms or in covering for extended absenses.

[QUOTE=san38;6571868]Well i have been informed that i have to work 12 months before i'd be entitled to 20 days. I get my dental, doctor, and other health benefits paid for. But remember the company will make out that this is for free.

You will get stat hols which run pretty much every month from May - Nov which is a damn sight more than in UK
A nice long weekend every month isn't such a bad thing to re-charge the battery's - Lots of people in Kamloops take advantage and go off camping - so it's not all bad and you'll be surprised how quickly the time flies anyways because you'll be busy getting your life sorted. Honest...it's all good