Working for free on February 29: Toronto Star interviews an employment lawyer

Interview Summary

For many salaried Canadians, an additional day of work during a leap year doesn’t result in extra pay.

Do employment laws offer any protections for salaried employees in this regard? Should employers be offering a raise to account for the extra work day in 2024?

Teilen Celentano, an Ontario employment lawyer and Associate at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP, offered insight into employee rights and employer obligations on the extra day with the Toronto Star‘s Ana Pereira.

Interview Notes

“Currently, there is no law establishing that salaried employees should get compensated or take a day off on leap day,” Celentano explained. “It’s basically up to their boss to decide to do this.”

Celentano goes on to explain, however, that salaried workers do not necessarily see deductions to their pay for regular appointments and interruptions during the work day. “Working on leap day can be seen as “a reasonable accommodation” employees need to make at work once every four years,” said Celentano. “A little give and take in any relationship is always a good thing.”

Related Resources

For further insights and discussions related to overtime pay and pay in a leap year, explore the following resources:

• Overtime pay in Ontario
• Extra pay for salaried workers on a leap year