Reading this piece of shit article makes me wonder if it contributes to the lack of morale and discipline, much-needed attention and simple fucking valuable time-spending-together, no-slaving-for-a-fucking-day-to-just-live-life for our children problem the entire mud-slinging globe is facing.
My first question when going through this funny article is "how in the fucking hell did they come up with 2 billion dollars as a stat number?".
And of course, my reaction was laughing.
It seems to me that fucking news corporations just through out numbers, a big fuckers too, out there like their much-needed braincells, in nonchalant fashion.
We're talking about one day off for THREE provinces. Granted, Ontario is the most economical province in the country, but followed closely by Québec, in which doesn't have the famous "Family Day" holiday.
And, as mentioned below, not everybody in the selected provinces really have the day off, commercially. So where did they get that fucking ridiculous billion dollar number? lol
Another stupid and funny section is when the ministry mentions shit like "we feel the holidays rejuvenates" people when they get back to work, that "they are more productive", etc ect... They clearly don't even give a fuck WHAT the holiday is for.
To me, Family Day should be repetitive and widely announced and reminded. The more time goes forward, the less families have values and spend time together to instill those values and so much required lessons that have slipped away over time. Today's families are scattered, divided, divorced, fucked up more so probably primarily because both parents work too fucking much! We work to survive, yet we either forget to live or don't have enough time/energy to live, much less to live with those we bring in to this cursed money-hungry world.
One thing's fucking guaranteed in my case - fuck work, it will never be worth being a slave while being away from my family and certainly never be worth the price either - I'd rather be homeless with them than rich and alone without them.
Think about it, we spend at least 66% of our LIVES at work... and what do most of us have to show for it? fucking debts, most of which are left to the kids when finally croaking away from this wretched period of time we're caught in.
I'd have much prefer catching the plague or being stabbed through by the swords of the Four Horsemen up the armour's poop-shoot in the dark ages than be caught in this horrible money-racing-hell-bent-at-all-cost-to-make-a-dollar era.
And besides, wouldn't you rather be happier looking in your son/daughter's eyes beaming with admiration for the mere simplest action than being scrutinized by your boss for slave wages and only ending up having him/her take all the fucking credit and butt fucking bonus for what you did?
The three provinces have the day off, while Manitobans are marking Louis Riel Day. And last Monday was Islander Day in Prince Edward Island.
Family Day was first celebrated in Alberta, in 1990. Saskatchewan decided to offer its workers a mid-winter break in 2007, while Ontario's Family Day began in 2008. All three provinces mark the day on the third Monday in February.
In Ontario, those who have the day off include provincial employees, and workers at schools, banks, libraries, liquor and beer stores, as well as those at the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Under the Retail Business Holidays Act, most Ontario retailers cannot be open today, except those designated as tourist attractions, such the Eaton Centre in downtown Toronto.
Federal employees and those in federally regulated sectors will remain in the office. So will most unionized workers, since they already have more than nine paid holidays as part of their contracts.
Holiday costs
While many welcome having a day off in the middle of the long winter, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business says the holiday costs small business money - to the tune of $2 billion.
Businesses that close still have to pay their usual costs for a day without any productivity. Those that choose to remain open, such as retailers, restaurants and others in the hospitality industry, are required to pay premium wages.
Judith Andrew, who represents 42,000 members in the Ontario wing of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, says those kinds of extra costs are hard for businesses already struggling to get by during an economic slowdown.
"Whenever government adds more costs and burden on business, they often do that in good times, because they figure: 'Oh, business can take it, they can shoulder it, they can handle it,"' Andrew said.
"And it made for a very nice announcement from the premier, it made him sound generous. But he was being generous with other people's money."
In a survey conducted by the federation, 58 per cent of members said they didn't like having a statutory holiday in February.
Worth the sacrifice
The province says on its website that Ontario's economy is strong enough to accommodate an extra public holiday.
It adds that while there may be some initial impact on productivity, it will likely be made up when employees return to work.
Employees who get time off may work even harder when they are back on the job, because they feel rejuvenated. And, they argue, a mid-winter holiday may spark an increase in industries such as tourism and entertainment/leisure.
Ontario's labour minister told CTV Toronto Monday that Family Day is worth the sacrifice.
"We see this as a way to make our province more productive," said Minister Peter Fonseca. "We understand we all work together and we all get a chance to play together, to visit families and loved ones."
For those who do have the day off, it didn't take much for them to get into the spirit of Family Day.
In Ontario, the lineup started early outside the Royal Ontario Museum and other attractions in Toronto. Hundreds of people were lined up around the block before 11 a.m.
"I was trying to find something that wasn't really expensive and kept the kids happy," said one mother who brought her children to Casa Loma, Toronto's own castle.
"I'm really looking forward to Family Day every year," said one woman who is spending the holiday at the Ontario Science Centre. "It's fun for all of us, being off work and spending quality time with the kids."
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