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Northwest Territories Leave & Compensation

Minimum Wage

$16.95 per hour 

Standard Work Hours

8 hours per day, 40 hours per week  

Sick Days

5 days' unpaid Sick Leave for employees who've been employed by same employer for at least 30 days 

Average Workers' Comp Assessment Rate 2026

$2.40 per $100 assessable payroll

Workers' Comp Maximum Assessable/Insurable Earnings 2026

$116,000  

All leaves are unpaid unless specified otherwise:    

17 weeks' Pregnancy Leave 

61 weeks' Parental Leave 

3 to 7 days', depending on where employee lives, Bereavement Leave for death of a family member 

27 weeks' Compassionate Leave to care for a family member suffering from a serious medical condition, with a significant risk of death 

37 weeks' Family Caregiver Leave to care for a critically ill child family member 

17 weeks' Family Caregiver Leave to care for a critically ill adult family member 

10 days' plus 15 consecutive weeks' Family Violence Leave, the first 5 days of which must be paid if the employee has at least 3 months' employment (1 month of employment required for unpaid leave) 

Reservist Leave for as long as necessary to perform reservist duties 

Emergency Leave for as long as necessary as employees can't work due to a declared emergency 

Court Leave for as long as necessary for employee to attend jury selection, serve on a jury or answer a summons to be a witness 

Vacation

Employee must work 1 full year to be entitled to vacation time 

  • Entitled to 2 weeks of vacation after each of the first 5 years of employment and must be paid at least 4% of vacationable earnings 
  • Entitled to 3 weeks of vacation after 6 consecutive years of employment and paid at least 6% of vacationable earnings. 

Statutory Holidays

New Year's Day National Indigenous Peoples Day Labour Day Remembrance Day
Good Friday Canada Day National Day for Truth & Reconciliation Christmas Day
Victoria Day First Monday of August Thanksgiving Day

Stat Holiday Pay Entitlement

To be eligible for stat holiday pay, employee must:  

  • Work for the same employer at least 30 days in the 12 months before the holiday 
  • Work on the statutory holiday if called to work 
  • Work the last scheduled shift before the holiday and the next scheduled shift after the holiday 

Stat Holiday Pay Amount

If worked: Overtime for the hours worked on the holiday plus an average day's pay or another day off with pay 

If not worked: Average day's pay