KORIn Québec, a schedule that forgets the construction holiday can be off by two weeks in July, and by another two weeks at Christmas. Statutory holidays add a day here and there. Here's what to put in your project calendar, with the 2027 dates and two worked examples.
Why count in working days
An activity duration is given in working days: 10 days of drywall means 10 days of work. The project calendar says which days are worked. If a holiday or a vacation period falls in the middle of an activity, its finish slides by that much, and everything after it slides too. That's why closures belong in the calendar, not in your head.
Statutory holidays
Québec's Act respecting labour standards provides for the following statutory holidays (Éducaloi, in French): January 1, Good Friday or Easter Monday (the employer's choice), National Patriots' Day (the Monday before May 25), June 24, July 1, Labour Day (1st Monday of September), Thanksgiving (2nd Monday of October) and Christmas Day.
In the construction industry, the paid statutory holidays (jours fériés chômés) and their dates are set by the collective agreements, and the CCQ publishes them in its holiday calendar (CCQ, holiday and vacation dates). According to the CCQ's FAQ, work done on one of these holidays is paid as overtime (CCQ, holidays FAQ, in French): better to plan for it in the schedule.
The 2027 dates (calculated, weekdays checked):
| Holiday | 2027 date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | January 1 | Friday |
| Good Friday | March 26 | Friday |
| Easter Monday | March 29 | Monday |
| National Patriots' Day | May 24 | Monday |
| Fête nationale | June 24 | Thursday |
| Canada Day | July 1 | Thursday |
| Labour Day | September 6 | Monday |
| Thanksgiving | October 11 | Monday |
| Christmas Day | December 25 | Saturday |
Two notes for the schedule:
- Good Friday or Easter Monday: only turn on the one your company (or the applicable agreement) actually takes off. Both at once costs you an extra day.
- A holiday that falls on a weekend (Christmas 2027 is a Saturday) removes no working day from the schedule. How the holiday is compensated for workers is a separate question, settled by the law or the agreement.
The summer construction holiday
The construction holiday is two weeks of mandatory vacation, Sunday to Saturday, at the end of July. During that period most sites covered by the construction regulations are closed; some agreements provide for exceptions.
You often hear the rule "two weeks starting on the second-last Sunday of July". It gives the right dates most years, but not all. Compare:
| Year | Second-last-Sunday rule | Calendar published by the CCQ |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | July 19 to August 1 | July 19 to August 1, 2026 |
| 2027 | July 18 to 31 | July 25 to August 7, 2027 |
Sources: CCQ, 2026 construction holiday and CCQ, holiday and vacation dates.
In 2027, the rule of thumb shifts everything by a week. So use the official dates for the year, not a rule.
Example: a 10-day activity starting July 19, 2027
| Calendar | Days worked | Finish |
|---|---|---|
| Without the construction holiday | July 19 to 30 (10 d) | Friday, July 30, 2027 |
| With the holiday from July 25 to August 7 | July 19 to 23 (5 d), then August 9 to 13 (5 d) | Friday, August 13, 2027 |
Two extra calendar weeks for the same amount of work. If this activity is on the critical path, the handover date moves back two weeks too.
The winter break
The holiday season is also a mandatory annual vacation in construction, with dates that change every year. According to the CCQ calendar (holiday and vacation dates):
| Winter | Period published by the CCQ |
|---|---|
| 2026-2027 | December 20, 2026 to January 2, 2027 |
| 2027-2028 | December 19, 2027 to January 1, 2028 |
Since these dates don't follow a simple rule, add them by hand to the project calendar as a closure period.
Example: a 15-day activity starting December 6, 2027
| Calendar | Days worked | Finish |
|---|---|---|
| Without the winter break | December 6 to 24 (15 d) | Friday, December 24, 2027 |
| With the break from December 19 to January 1 | December 6 to 17 (10 d), then January 3 to 7 (5 d) | Friday, January 7, 2028 |
The winter break removes 10 working days from the schedule. A house promised "closed in before Christmas" needs its critical path finished by Friday, December 17, 2027 at the latest.
Good habits
- One calendar per project. A site in Ontario or the U.S. doesn't have the same holidays, and work outside the regulated construction industry doesn't necessarily follow the same vacation.
- Check the dates at the start of the year. The CCQ publishes its calendar ahead of time; copy the official dates into your projects.
- Think of subcontractors and suppliers. Deliveries and municipal inspections also slow down during the holidays.
- Show closures to the client. A grey bar on the schedule saves a lot of phone calls in August.
- Don't hide vacations inside durations. A 15-day framing activity stays 15 days; the calendar pushes the finish.
With KOR
In KOR, each project has its own calendar: working weekdays, Québec statutory holidays (turned on one by one; Easter Monday is off by default, Good Friday on), the summer construction holiday as a single checkbox, and "Other closure periods" for the winter break or any other shutdown. The summer dates used are shown for each year in the calendar settings: KOR uses the dates published by the CCQ (including July 25 to August 7, 2027) and, for a year not yet published, the usual rule. Check them if needed; a different date can be entered as a closure period. Activities reposition themselves, and the critical path follows. Holiday lists for the rest of Canada and the U.S. are also available.
In short
- Durations in working days, closures in the calendar.
- Good Friday or Easter Monday: only one, the one you take off.
- Summer 2027: July 25 to August 7, per the CCQ, not the rule of thumb.
- Winter 2027-2028: December 19 to January 1, added by hand.
- Check the CCQ calendar every year.