Quebec's 2026 summer construction vacation runs from Sunday 19 July at 12:01 a.m. through Saturday 1 August at midnight. The winter vacation runs from Sunday 20 December 2026 through Saturday 2 January 2027.
The Commission de la construction du Québec (CCQ) publishes these compulsory vacation periods under the construction industry's collective agreements. They are commonly called the vacances de la construction. The official dates and scope material were checked on 3 August 2026.
Select the construction period separately
The calculator provides separate summer and winter shutdown overlays. The Quebec Construction - Summer option excludes every date in the published summer period. The Quebec Construction - Winter option does the same for the winter period.
The province selection and the overlay have different purposes:
| Setting | What it adds to the count |
|---|---|
| Quebec under Province or Territory | Quebec public holidays |
| Quebec Construction - Summer | The applicable 14-day CCQ summer period |
| Quebec Construction - Winter | The applicable 14-day CCQ winter period |
Selecting Quebec applies the province's public-holiday calendar. Select a construction overlay only when the source governing the period also excludes the applicable CCQ vacation. This keeps a sector-specific vacation separate from Quebec's general public holidays.
The overlay changes this result by two weeks
Start on Thursday 16 July 2026, exclude the start date and count forward ten working days using the Quebec calendar.
| Settings | Result |
|---|---|
| Quebec holidays, no shutdown | Thursday 30 July 2026 |
| Quebec holidays plus the summer construction overlay | Thursday 13 August 2026 |
Without the overlay, the calculation excludes the weekends and ends on Thursday 30 July. With the summer overlay, it also excludes the complete period from 19 July through 1 August and ends on Thursday 13 August.
Open the summer example in the calculator. The link includes the Quebec calendar, ten working days, an excluded start date and the summer shutdown overlay.
Published periods through 2028
The calculator stores the CCQ's published dates for 2025 through 2028. The six periods relevant to current planning are:
| Period | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|
| Summer 2026 | Sunday 19 July 2026 | Saturday 1 August 2026 |
| Winter 2026-27 | Sunday 20 December 2026 | Saturday 2 January 2027 |
| Summer 2027 | Sunday 25 July 2027 | Saturday 7 August 2027 |
| Winter 2027-28 | Sunday 19 December 2027 | Saturday 1 January 2028 |
| Summer 2028 | Sunday 23 July 2028 | Saturday 5 August 2028 |
| Winter 2028-29 | Sunday 24 December 2028 | Saturday 6 January 2029 |
Use the published date rather than assuming that the vacation always begins on the third Sunday in July. In 2027, it begins on the fourth Sunday. For periods after 2028, the calculator uses an estimated pattern and displays a warning to verify the dates with the CCQ.
Establish whether the vacation applies to the work
The CCQ states that construction sites must close during the compulsory vacation periods, subject to special rules and agreements for some work. Its published material addresses maintenance, repairs, modifications, renovations, emergencies, light residential construction and specified civil-engineering or road work.
The Act respecting labour relations, vocational training and workforce management in the construction industry defines the regulated construction regime. Section 19 also lists work outside the Act's scope. The applicable collective agreement, the work being performed and any special rule establish whether the vacation applies to a project.
Once that question has been answered, the calculator overlay excludes the published dates from the working-day count. The collective agreement and CCQ material govern project classification and any special rule.
Sources
- CCQ: Construction Holidays and Vacations, published 2026 to 2028 dates and special rules, checked 3 August 2026
- CCQ: 2026 construction industry calendar
- CCQ: special rules for annual construction vacations
- Act respecting labour relations, vocational training and workforce management in the construction industry, sections 1 and 19
