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B.C. Federation of Labour renews call for a February holiday in British Columbia
February 18, 2008
Vancouver - The B.C. Federation of Labour is renewing its call for the Campbell government to declare a new statutory holiday in February similar to those enjoyed in other provinces and states, says Federation President Jim Sinclair.
"The provinces east of us and the states north and south of us will be enjoying a long weekend in February," Sinclair says. "BC is the one of the last jurisdictions in this region that has no holiday in place from January 2nd through to the Easter holidays."
A recent Statistics Canada study, published in Canadian Social Trends, found that Canadian workers in 2005 spent 45 minutes less each day with their family during workdays than they did twenty years ago, or comparable to almost five work weeks each year.
"There are many heroes and cultures in this province that should be recognized with a holiday," says Sinclair. "A February holiday would not only be an opportunity for workers to spend time with their families, but it would also be a great opportunity for British Columbians to come together and celebrate our heroes and our heritage."
Sinclair also noted if we were to implement our proposed February holiday, in 2010, it would ensure the opening weekend of the Olympics is a long weekend. (Games would begin on Friday February 12, 2010 and the holiday would fall on Monday, February 15, 2010.)
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For more information contact: Jessie Uppal 604-220-0739.
