Tag Archives: HoursofWork

A voter waits in a school hallway at a polling station, next to a yellow sign with an arrow pointing the way to vote.

Voting in Alberta’s referendum?
You may be eligible for paid time off

Updated October 15, 2026

Advance voting for Alberta’s referendum opened on Tuesday, and election officials are expecting record turnout of 80 to 85 per cent, according to Global News. Voters will weigh in on 10 questions, including a question about Alberta remaining a province in Canada. For many working Albertans, having their say in this referendum matters a great deal. But fitting it around a work schedule is another story.

At the Workers’ Resource Centre, we believe that no one should have to choose between a paycheque and participating in democracy. The good news is that you are entitled to time off to vote in accordance with Alberta’s Election Act. Here’s what you need to know before October 19.

Your rights at work: 5 things to know

  1. You’re entitled to three consecutive hours to vote.
    Every eligible voter must have three hours in a row to vote, outside of work, while polls are open. On October 19, polls are open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Advance voting runs until Saturday, October 17, with the same hours, at any advance location in your electoral division. If you already had three free hours on an earlier advance voting day, such as a day off on Tuesday or Wednesday, your employer may not owe you any extra time.
  2. If you don’t have 3 consecutive hours to vote outside your working hours, your employer must give you time off.
    Let’s say you work 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on every voting day, from now through October 19. That leaves you one hour before your shift and two hours after it. Neither leaves enough time to vote, so your employer must make up the difference. They could let you start at noon, or leave at 5 p.m., on any voting day. If you work 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., you already have three free hours between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., so no extra time is required.
  3. Time off to vote must be paid.
    Your employer can’t dock your pay or penalize you for taking time off to vote. Under the Election Act, doing so is an offence. The time is for voting only, so head straight to your polling station.
  4. Your employer gets to choose when you get time off to vote.
    Workers do not get to pick the time when they take time off to vote. Your employer can choose any advance voting day or October 19, whichever works best for their operation. With only a few voting days left, make sure you have that conversation with your supervisor or manager today.
  5. If you’ve already voted, you won’t get extra time off.
    If you already cast your ballot by mail or at an advance poll, your employer doesn’t have to give you more time off.

How time off to vote works

Polls are open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. You need 3 hours in a row, outside of work, on any voting day.

Example 1
Scheduled shift (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.)3 hours free ✓
9am101112pm12345678pm

✓ You have 3 free hours after work. No extra time needed.

Example 2
1 hourScheduled shift (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.)2 hours
9am101112pm12345678pm

✗ Not enough time before or after work. Your employer must give you paid time off.

Your employer could let you start at noon (2 of your 3 hours are paid)
1 hour2 hours paidWork
9am101112pm12345678pm
…or let you leave at 5 p.m. (1 of your 3 hours is paid)
Work1 hour paid2 hours
9am101112pm12345678pm
Work shiftFree hours to votePaid time off for votingNot enough time
Workers’ Resource Centre · helpwrc.orgFree help for Alberta workers: 1-844-435-7972

Who can vote: check before you ask for time off

To vote in the referendum, you must be a Canadian citizen, 18 or older, who lives in Alberta. Albertans who are permanent residents and people on work or study permits can’t vote, so the time-off rule doesn’t apply to them.

Before Monday, take a minute to check your schedule against the polling hours. If it doesn’t add up to three free hours, talk to your supervisor now.

If your rights aren’t respected: keep a record and get help

If your employer refuses to give you time off to vote, cuts your pay or treats you unfairly for taking it, write down what happened while it’s fresh in your mind. Keep pay stubs, emails and text messages, and note the date and who you spoke with.

Then, contact the Workers’ Resource Centre right away. You don’t have to sort it out alone. Our caseworkers can help you understand your options, free of charge. You can also get in touch to ask questions to better understand your right to paid time off for voting. Contact us to get started.

From all of us at the Workers’ Resource Centre, we wish every working Albertan a smooth trip to the polls.

This article provides general information, not legal advice. For questions about the referendum itself, contact Elections Alberta.

5 essential rules Alberta workers need to know

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Whether you’ve been working for the last 20 years or you are starting your first job, something that many workers overlook are the laws that govern their work and their employers. In Alberta, these laws are referred to as Alberta Employment Standards, and they apply to most employees in the province. The only problem is Employment Standards — also known as pages and pages of rules pertaining to work in the province — can be a very long read.

To save you some of your well-earned time off, we’ve identified some of the most common Employment Standards regulations that we get asked about at the Workers’ Resource Centre that we believe are essential for all Alberta workers to know.

1. Wage Rules

Minimum Wage
The general minimum wage in Alberta is $15 per hour. There are some exceptions for domestic workers and salespersons whose minimum wage is calculated monthly and weekly. Student workers under the age of 18 can be paid as low as $13/hour for up to 28 hours a week, however, other strict conditions must be met for employers to pay this student wage rate.

The 3-Hour Minimum Rule
Employees must be paid at least 3 hours of pay at minimum wage each time they go to work, even if their employer sends them home earlier. If you were called into work and sent home after working only 1 hour, you must still be paid for 3 hours of work.

2. Overtime and the 8/44 Rule

In Alberta, overtime for most workers is calculated using the 8/44 rule (Note: there are some industries and professions that are exempt from this rule). Overtime means all hours worked beyond 8 hours a day or 44 hours a week, whichever is more.

Let’s say you worked 10 hours a day for 5 days a week for a total of 50 hours. If you calculated overtime weekly (above 44 hours), you would only have 6 hours of overtime. But when you calculate it daily (8 hours) you would have 10 hours of overtime, so your employer would be required to compensate you for 10 hours of overtime, not 6.

Depending on the agreement with an employer, overtime can be compensated by paying workers at 1.5 times the regular rate of pay or by banking hours. If you and your employer agree to bank overtime hours, you are initially paid for overtime at the regular rate of pay and later, you are entitled paid time off equal to the number of overtime hours worked. (Note: unless stated in writing, banked overtime hours must be used within six months).

3. Breaks

Workers in Alberta are entitled to breaks after working 5 hours or more. If your shift is more than 5 hours long and less than 10 hours, you are entitled to at least one 30-minute break. If your shift is longer than 10 hours, you are entitled to at least two 30-minute breaks.

Breaks may be paid or unpaid. However, if your employer places restrictions on your activities during a break (such as not being allowed to leave your workplace), your break must be paid.

4. Rest

Alberta workers must be provided at least 1 day of rest from work each week. Employers can combine work weeks, meaning you work without rest for more than one week, but must provide workers with the following periods of rest:

  • If you work 2 weeks straight, you are entitled to 2 consecutive days off before returning to work.
  • If you work 3 weeks straight, you are entitled to 3 consecutive days off.
  • If you work 4 days straight, you are entitled to 4 consecutive days off.

5. Job-protected leaves

There are 11 types of leaves that workers are allowed to take from work, without risking losing their job. Most workers who have been employed for more than 90 days are eligible for the following types of leave:

  1. COVID-19 vaccination = up to 3 hours paid leave
  2. Citizenship Ceremony = half day unpaid leave
  3. Maternity and Parental Leave = Up to 16 weeks unpaid maternity leave for a birth parent and up to 62 weeks of unpaid parental leave per child.*
  4. Personal and Family Responsibility = Up to 5 days of unpaid leave necessary for a worker’s health or for a worker’s family needs.
  5. Illness/Injury Leave = up to 16 weeks per year of unpaid job-protected leave to heal from a long-term illness or injury.*   
  6. Compassionate Care = up to 27 weeks unpaid leave to provide end-of-life care for a family member.*
  7. Critical Illness of Family Member = up to 16 weeks unpaid leave to care for a critically ill adult family member and up to 36 weeks unpaid leave to care for a critically ill child.*
  8. Bereavement (death of a family member or a pregnancy loss) = 3 days unpaid leave.
  9. Death or disappearance of a child = up to 52 weeks unpaid leave if the child has disappeared and up to 104 weeks unpaid if the child has died due to a crime.*
  10. Domestic Violence = up to 10 days unpaid job-protected leave.*
  11. Reservist = unpaid job-protected leave for Canadian Forces reservists for deployment and training (no time limit).

 * While these leaves are not paid by the employer, there are other government programs and grants that provide income support due to these circumstances.

If you have questions about how these rules apply to your work, have an employer who isn’t following these rules, or need help with a job-protected leave, please click here to find out how the Workers’ Resource Centre may be able to help.