Burnaby Board of Trade calls for realignment of Family Day in BC
The Burnaby Board of Trade (BBOT) is calling on the provincial government to align BC’s Family Day statutory holiday, currently held on the 2nd Monday of February, with the holidays of neighbouring jurisdictions which are held on the 3rd Monday of February, to better facilitate trade and business.
In a letter to Jobs Minister Shirley Bond, BBOT President and CEO Paul Holden notes that having a holiday separate from six other provinces—and the whole of the United States—has shown to have negative impacts on the operations of businesses across BC.
“For companies which conduct business in other parts of Canada or in the United States, this misalignment of holidays creates a barrier to commerce and trade,” wrote Holden. “When offices in BC are closed for Family Day but firms are operating in all neighbouring jurisdictions, local businesses are unable to service their interprovincial or American customers. Then, come the 3rd Monday in February, the employees of those local businesses may be largely sitting idle, unable to reach those same clients who are then closed due to their holidays.”
When the Family Day holiday was first proposed, a province-wide consultation was held which generated support for a non-aligning holiday. After four years of practice, however, it appears opinions are beginning to shift.
“Through consultation with our policy committee, our Board of Directors, and our over 1,100 members, we have heard clearly that local businesses would prefer Family Day be aligned with other February holidays. In addition, our local destination marketing organization, Tourism Burnaby, has reviewed our proposal and also supports aligning Family Day,” continued Holden.
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