Minor’s aren’t exempted from working and earning in Canada. Although there’s not much age bracket for young workers in Canada, However, restrictions are placed within the ages.
Minor’s generally are allowed to work in Canada. They’ve job settings that are suitable for them, and their pay structure is relatively the same as that of adults.
On this page, we’re going to center on how many hours a 15 year old can work in Canada. Because 15 years is regarded as minor, and the work requirements are the same, we’re going to discuss minors’ work generally. But before then;
Who’s a minor?
A minor is someone who’s not up to the age of majority. Although it is simple to refer to someone as minor or not, in Canada it is regulated and specified by the law.
Different provinces have different age thresholds for people regarded as minors. For example, the age bracket for children referred to as minors in the province of Quebec is different from that of the province of Ontario.
Well to make it more clear, the following are the age bracket for children referred to as minors across the various Canadian provinces.
- Province of British Columbia: 19 years and below
- Alberta: 18 years and below
- Saskatchewan: Unmarried people who are below the age of 16
- Manitoba: people who are 18 years downward
- Ontario: People who are below the age of 18
- Quebec: Unmarried persons who are below the age of 18
- Nova Scotia: 19 years downward
- New Brunswick: Youths below the age of 19
- Newfoundland: Youths who are not up to 18 years
- Prince Edward Island: 18 years downward
- Northwest Territories: Young ones below the age of 19
- Nunavut: Children who are not up to 19 years
- Yukon: 19 years and below.
From the above-mentioned provinces, it is observable that there are different age brackets for minors in Canada. If you’re within any of the above, it’s more appropriate to check and know if you’ve outgrown the age or not.
How many hours can a 15 year old work in Canada?
Now back to our question. 15 years is a minor, and their work hours aren’t the same as that of adults. So how many are they?
Generally, minors are allowed to work for as much as 8 hours per day, and 40 hours per week. That being said, no matter your efforts to work, you must work within this period until you’re grown.
Meanwhile, children who are under the age of 15 aren’t allowed to work for more than 3 hours during school days. More so, they’re not allowed to work during school hours.
All children who are below the age of 16 are expected to be in school.
Exception cases
Although the working hours for minors in Canada are not more than 8 hours a day, and not more than 48 hours weekly. They’re certain cases that may allow you to break these rules.
No one will force you to work if the hours are exhausted, but in a situation like an emergency, or when someone isn’t there to perform the task, and it’s necessary to be done, you’ve to make it up.
In some instances, the work may have irregular hours, such that there’s no specific working or closing time. In this case, you’ve to keep track of the number of hours you’ve worked and make the calculations.
Minors in Canada are protected by Canadian labor and employment. You’re not allowed to work for more hours than stated, you have the absolute right to refuse to be overworked.
Conclusion
15 years can work for up to 8 hours a day, and 40 hours per week. However, he/she isn’t allowed to work during school hours, and the maximum working hours for school days is between 2 to 3 depending on the province.
If you’re a minor who’s interested in working in Canada, or you know someone, we hope this should help. Good luck!
