Quick answer
Overtime in Canada is set by each province and territory, plus the Canada Labour Code for federally regulated workplaces. The usual rate is 1.5× the regular wage. Where overtime starts ranges from 8 hours a day (BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the territories) to 48 hours a week (Nova Scotia).
Every province and territory
| Region | Daily | Weekly | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| British Columbia | Over 8 hrs2× over 12 hrs | Over 40 hrs | 1.5× regular |
| Alberta | Over 8 hrs | Over 44 hrs | 1.5× regularDaily or weekly, whichever is greater |
| Saskatchewan | Over 8 hrs | Over 40 hrs32 in a holiday week | 1.5× regular |
| Manitoba | Over 8 hrs | Over 40 hrs | 1.5× regular |
| Ontario | None | Over 44 hrs | 1.5× regular |
| Quebec | None | Over 40 hrs | 1.5× regular |
| New Brunswick | None | Over 44 hrs | 1.5× minimum wage$23.85/hr from April 1, 2026 |
| Nova Scotia | None | Over 48 hrs | 1.5× regular |
| Prince Edward Island | None | Over 44 hrsWas 48 until June 30, 2026 | 1.5× regular |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | None | Over 40 hrs | 1.5× minimum wage$24.53/hr from April 1, 2026 |
| Yukon | Over 8 hrs | Over 40 hrs32 in a holiday week | 1.5× regular |
| Northwest Territories | Over 8 hrs | Over 40 hrs | 1.5× regular |
| Nunavut | Over 8 hrs | Over 40 hrs | 1.5× regular |
| Federally regulatedCanada Labour Code | Over 8 hrs | Over 40 hrsMinus 8 per holiday | 1.5× regular |
Daily and weekly together
Where both limits apply, an hour is never paid as overtime twice. In practice you work out daily overtime and weekly overtime, and the employee gets whichever gives more overtime hours. Alberta states the rule exactly this way: hours over 8 a day or 44 a week, whichever is greater.
The same week in Ontario or Quebec has no overtime at all, because neither has a daily limit.
British Columbia
Time and a half after 8 hours in a day, and double time after 12 hours. Weekly overtime starts after 40 hours, but only the first 8 hours of each day count toward the 40. Averaging agreements over 1 to 4 weeks change the daily and weekly limits, and some industries (oil and gas, mining, silviculture) have their own rules.
Source: B.C. Employment Standards: Overtime pay
Alberta
Overtime is all hours over 8 a day or 44 a week, whichever is greater, at 1.5× the regular rate. A written overtime agreement can let you bank the hours as time off instead. Some industries, such as highway and railway construction, use different limits.
Source: Alberta: Overtime hours and overtime pay
Saskatchewan
Overtime after 8 hours in a day or 40 in a week, whichever pays more. In a week with a public holiday, the weekly limit drops by 8 hours for each holiday (32 hours for one holiday), not counting hours worked on the holiday itself. On a four-day schedule the daily limit can be 10 hours.
Source: Saskatchewan: Overtime
Manitoba
Standard hours are 8 a day and 40 a week. Work beyond them is overtime at 1.5×, but only when the employer requests, authorizes or knowingly allows it. ICI construction uses 10 hours a day, and averaging permits or flextime agreements can change the limits.
Source: Manitoba Employment Standards: Overtime
Ontario and Quebec
Ontario: 1.5× after 44 hours a week, no daily overtime. Quebec: the usual hourly wage plus 50% (1.5×) after 40 hours a week, no daily overtime. At the employee’s request, a Quebec employer can give 1.5 hours of paid leave per overtime hour instead.
Sources: Ontario: ESA guide, overtime pay · CNESST: Overtime
New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador
These are the only two provinces where the legal minimum overtime pay is based on the minimum wage, not your own wage. In 2026 that floor is $23.85/hr in New Brunswick (after 44 hours) and $24.53/hr in Newfoundland and Labrador (after 40 hours).
If you earn $30 an hour, the law alone does not require $45 for overtime hours. Many employers pay 1.5× the regular rate anyway, by policy or collective agreement. Both rates go up every April 1. New Brunswick ran a public consultation in 2026 on tying overtime to the regular wage instead, so this may change.
Sources: New Brunswick: Minimum wage and overtime · Newfoundland and Labrador: 2026 minimum wage
Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island
Nova Scotia: 1.5× the regular wage after 48 hours in a week, the highest limit in Canada. Prince Edward Island: the new Employment Standards Act, in force since June 30, 2026, lowered the overtime limit from 48 to 44 hours a week, at 1.5× the regular rate. Older guides still show 48.
Sources: Nova Scotia: Overtime · PEI: Changes to the Employment Standards Act
The territories
Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut all use standard hours of 8 a day and 40 a week, with overtime at 1.5× beyond them. In Yukon, a week with a general holiday has a 32-hour limit.
Sources: Yukon: Employment Standards fact sheet · NWT: Employment standards fact sheet · Nunavut: Labour and employment standards
Federally regulated workplaces
Banks, airlines, interprovincial trucking and rail, telecom and federal Crown corporations follow the Canada Labour Code, not provincial law: overtime at 1.5× after 8 hours a day or 40 a week, with the weekly limit reduced by 8 hours for each holiday. Managers and some professionals are exempt.
Source: Canada.ca: Hours of work
Questions
Which provinces have daily overtime?
British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba pay overtime after 8 hours in a day, as do Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and federally regulated workplaces. Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces only use a weekly limit.
Is overtime 44 hours in every province?
No. It is 44 hours in Ontario, Alberta (or 8 a day), New Brunswick and, since June 30, 2026, Prince Edward Island. It is 40 hours in BC, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador and the territories, and 48 hours in Nova Scotia.
Does BC have double time?
Yes. In British Columbia, hours over 12 in a day are paid at double the regular wage.