Free Tool for Canadian Lawyers
Legal Business Day Counter — All Canadian Provinces
Count the exact number of business days between any two dates, with weekends and province-specific statutory holidays automatically excluded. Free for lawyers.
Count business daysWhat this tool does
- ✓Excludes weekends and statutory holidays for all 13 Canadian provinces and territories
- ✓Handles province-specific holidays: Family Day, St-Jean-Baptiste, BC Day, and more
- ✓Useful for procedural court deadlines, contract periods, and regulatory timeframes
- ✓Shows which holidays were excluded so you can verify the count
How to use this tool
- 1
Select your jurisdiction
Choose the province or territory whose statutory holiday schedule applies to your matter. Different provinces observe different holidays — e.g. Family Day is observed in Ontario, BC, and Alberta but not in Quebec or Atlantic Canada.
- 2
Enter the start date
Enter the first day of the period you are counting. Depending on your court rules, the start date may or may not be included in the count.
- 3
Enter the end date
Enter the last day of the period. The counter will calculate the total number of business days between the two dates.
- 4
Read your business day count
The counter displays the total number of business days, the holidays excluded, and a plain-English breakdown of the period.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as a business day in Canadian courts?
A business day (also called a "court day" in some rules) is any day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or statutory holiday. In Ontario Rules of Civil Procedure r. 1.03, "holiday" is defined to include all statutory holidays observed in Ontario. Specific rules may further define what days count.
Is Family Day a holiday for court deadlines in Ontario?
Yes. Family Day (third Monday in February) is a statutory holiday in Ontario and is therefore excluded from court deadline calculations under the Ontario Rules of Civil Procedure. It is also excluded in BC, Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, and Saskatchewan, but under different names or dates.
Does Quebec observe the same holidays as Ontario?
No. Quebec observes National Patriots' Day (Monday before May 25) instead of Victoria Day, and St-Jean-Baptiste Day (June 24) as a provincial holiday. Quebec does not observe Family Day or the same Civic Holiday as Ontario. The business day counter adjusts for each province's schedule.
Is Good Friday excluded from court deadlines in Canada?
Yes. Good Friday is a statutory holiday across all provinces and territories in Canada. It is always excluded from business day counts for court deadlines. Easter Monday is also a federal statutory holiday but is not always a provincial holiday — check the specific province.
Can I use this counter for limitation period calculations?
Limitation periods in Canada are generally calculated in calendar days (years), not business days — so the business day counter is not typically used for limitation period math. Use the Limitation Period Calculator instead. The business day counter is most useful for procedural court deadlines, which are often expressed in "days" that exclude holidays.
What is the difference between calendar days and court days?
Calendar days count every day including weekends and holidays. Court days exclude weekends and statutory holidays. Ontario Rules of Civil Procedure r. 3.01(2) provides that when a deadline falls on a holiday, it extends to the next non-holiday. For periods under 7 days, all holidays within the period are excluded from the count (r. 3.01(3)).
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