Last week the Provincial Government announced a new statutory holiday in February for Prince Edward Island. It will be observed/celebrated/taken starting on the second Monday of February 2009.
Some businesses, in fact a giant group of business, are complaining about this new holiday. Their point is that the extra holiday is now another expense in a long list of rising expenses (i.e fuel costs, minimum wage, etc).
While I can sympathize with the rising costs (we heat three 100+ year old houses) I'm not against the new holiday. I, for one, welcome this new day of rest and shopping at The Home Depot. In this part of the world February sucks and anything anyone can do to make it better is worth it.
The only real issue I have with this new holiday is the name: Islander Day. I propose we hijack the name and call it "Day Off". It would be much better during conversation:
Bill: "Hey Jimmy, you doing anything special on your Day Off?"
Jimmy: "Nah. Just going to head down to Walmart cause they're always open. Must suck to not get the Day Off."
Comments
Stephen DesRoches - April 8, 2008 9:21 pm
Agreed. I have an unreasonable hate towards the title Islander or Islanders.
Alan - April 9, 2008 12:33 pm
When we had our first Family Day this February here in Ontario, not only were we stunned by the equally stupid name (as everyday is a family day for those with families you numbskulls) but how everything commercial shut as tight as Christmas (aka Jesus Born Day) or Good Friday (aka Jesus Dead Day). All exept the sad Federal employees roaming the town in marked vehicles looking for a Tim Hortons that was open.<p>But if this one is to be <i>Islanders Day</i> will islanders for other islands be invited to the Island to celebrate being an "islander" or will this be an exclusionary "you of other islands are not real islanders" sort of Islander Day. Maybe it will be a real Fuck You Phoney Islanders Day. That would be good.
Julien - April 9, 2008 11:07 pm
It's call Family Day here in Alberta, as well.
One extra day off still doesn't bring it up to European standards, but I suppose it's a start..
Dan James - April 10, 2008 10:03 am
To get up to European standards we'd have to start issuing full weeks off. I suggest "Beach Week" (third week of July) and "Make babies week" (first or second week in December).
Steven G. - April 10, 2008 10:27 am
That's when I made my baby.
Julien - April 11, 2008 12:34 am
To Quebec's credit, however, they really have followed in the tradition of their European predecessors: The last two weeks of July are vacation weeks. Pales in comparison to France's /month of holiday/ in July.
Beach week really does sound great, too.