What's New in Canada in November 2026: Budget, Benefits, Black Friday and New Rules

November opens with new rules on day one. Ontario electricity prices drop on November 1, but the provincial rebate shrinks with them. B.C., Alberta and Manitoba keep their clocks where they are while the rest of the country falls back. Then come Express Entry's new points on November 3, the federal budget on Thursday, November 5, the last week to use the Rogers rewards bonus, and Black Friday on November 27. Five class-action claim deadlines fall this month too.

The federal budget lands Thursday, November 5

Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne tables Budget 2026 on Thursday, November 5. It's the first big look at what Ottawa plans for taxes, housing and the cost of living going into 2027.

Read the dates as carefully as the dollar amounts. A budget measure is a proposal until Parliament passes it, and many start on January 1 or the next tax year rather than the day they're announced.

Ontario electricity gets cheaper per kilowatt-hour on November 1

The Ontario Energy Board's new prices start Sunday, November 1 and run to the end of April for the winter hours. Prices drop between about 4% and 7%:

The catch is the Ontario Electricity Rebate, which falls to 15.7% of your bill. On a typical 700 kWh month it now takes about $23 off, where last winter's rebate was worth about $36. So the cheaper prices won't all show up on your bill.

Winter time-of-use hours are back too: on-peak runs 7 to 11 a.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. on weekdays. Laundry, the dishwasher and EV charging after 7 p.m. or on the weekend land at the off-peak price.

From November 15 to April 30, Ontario utilities can't disconnect a home for non-payment. The bill still has to be paid, so if you're behind, ask your utility about a payment plan and the Ontario Electricity Support Program now rather than in spring.

Western clocks stay put on November 1

Most of Canada falls back an hour at 2 a.m. on Sunday, November 1. B.C., Alberta, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories don't, joining Yukon and most of Saskatchewan on the same time all year.

That moves the gaps across the country. Toronto is now two hours ahead of Vancouver this winter instead of three, and Winnipeg is on the same clock as Toronto. Check meeting invites, flight connections and border-crossing hours if you're heading south: the Canada Border Services Agency is adjusting hours at some western land crossings to line up with U.S. ports.

Express Entry adds points for high-wage jobs on November 3

From Tuesday, November 3, Express Entry's ranking score gives extra points for Canadian work experience or a job offer in a high-wage occupation, meaning one whose median pay is at least 1.3 times the Canadian median.

You get whichever counts for more, not both, up to 150 points (140 with an accompanying spouse or partner). A job offer no longer needs an LMIA, the labour market impact assessment employers used to have to get, to earn these points.

Work experience is recalculated automatically for people already in the pool. Job-offer points aren't: update your profile before November 3 if you have an offer. Our Express Entry guide covers the rest of the system.

Benefit payments in November

There's no Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit this month. The former GST/HST credit is paid every three months, and the next one comes in January. The Advanced Canada Workers Benefit isn't paid in November either.

The Canada Child Benefit on Friday, November 20 is up to $679.75 for each child under 6 and $573.58 for each child aged 6 to 17. CCB payment dates has the rest of the year.

Old Age Security stays at October's higher rates: up to $762.50 a month at 65 to 74 and $838.75 at 75 and older. Those are maximums, so check your own amount in My Service Canada Account. Every date for both months is on our October and November payment dates page.

Rogers Red cards: redeem before November 18

Rogers Bank ends its 1.5x redemption bonus on Wednesday, November 18. Right now, cash back redeemed against an eligible Rogers, Fido or Shaw purchase is worth 1.5 times its face value. From November 18 every point is worth one cent, even on rewards you earned before.

So if you have a balance, use it by November 17. You need at least $10 in rewards and an eligible Rogers purchase posted in the last 90 days. In exchange, Rogers Red cards start earning 5% on eligible Rogers purchases up to each card's yearly spending cap. Whether that's a better deal depends on how much of your spending goes to Rogers; our Rogers credit card changes article runs the numbers card by card.

Black Friday is November 27, Cyber Monday November 30

Black Friday falls on Friday, November 27 and Cyber Monday on November 30, with plenty of "early" sales starting before both. The number that matters is what the item actually sold for over the past few months, not the percentage on the tag. A 40% discount on an inflated list price can be the same as an ordinary week.

The Canooq deals page collects the discounts worth your time, and the best Amazon deals in Canada page tracks what's down on Amazon.ca on any given day. If you're shipping gifts, Canada Post is adding weekend parcel delivery in Toronto and Montréal by late November.

New provincial rules

• B.C. pay transparency: from November 1, employers with 50 or more employees in B.C. must publish a yearly report on pay gaps between men and women. Look for it on your employer's website.
• Saskatchewan carbon monoxide alarms: Henry's Law makes a CO alarm mandatory in every suite of apartment, condo and other multi-unit buildings from November 1, not just near the furnace. If you rent and don't have one, ask your landlord.

Five class-action claim deadlines

The Truffettes claim is the one most people can make, and it closes Wednesday, November 4. If you bought Truffettes de France chocolate truffles in Canada between April 2022 and September 2026, it's $3 per product, up to three without a receipt, and no more than $18 a person.

The CIBC deadline is mainly for former holders of CIBC mutual funds bought through a full-service adviser; current holders are paid automatically. The gondola claim covers people aboard during the sudden stops on February 21 or March 11, 2020.

Our explainer on how class actions work in Canada goes from lawsuit to payout, and the class actions directory lists every open claim.

Other dates to know

• Monday, November 2: P.E.I. municipal elections.
• Friday, November 6: October jobs numbers from Statistics Canada.
• Wednesday, November 11: Remembrance Day. It's a statutory holiday for federally regulated workers and in most provinces, but not in Ontario or Quebec.
• Monday, November 16: October inflation numbers.
• Monday, November 30: third-quarter GDP.

The Bank of Canada raised its rate to 2.50% on October 28, its first increase since July 2023, and the next decision isn't until December 9. Variable-rate mortgages and lines of credit move up 0.25 percentage points with your lender's prime rate. Our Bank of Canada rate decisions page tracks every move.

The federal gas tax is still suspended, keeping 10¢ a litre off gasoline through January 31, 2027.

Most of November's payments depend on a filed tax return. To see what you might be missing, the benefits eligibility checker takes a couple of minutes.