Ontario suffers from a funny sort of guilt - sorry it is so large and populous and diverse and economically strong and sets the national agenda. It could spin off Toronto, you know...that might work. And, because someone had a whacky idea a few years back, Ontario has fixed provincial elections and I guess one is coming up. The problem with fixed elections without primaries and stuff is that they sort of creep up on you so here we are about five weeks off and no one is listening that much. Well they will today:
There was a real holiday flavour to the unofficial kickoff of the Ontario election campaign yesterday. The Liberal party promised a new statutory holiday in February if it is re-elected on Oct. 10, something that would give Ontarians a long-called-for winter break.I say the Conservatives go one better and promise to mirror the, what, 37 or so statutory holidays of Newfoundland. Until we get Regatta Day off - are we really free?
Comments
Pico - September 4, 2007 10:05 am
Only the Newfs are so blessedly "non-anal" that they would have a Regatta Day. Ontarians will, in all likelihood, get stuck with a day off named in favour of some knobbish cobweb of a historic person - dog forbid that they have ties to temperance.
It would be nice to have a holiday where the people could sincerely embrace the namesake. The two days that we could all do well to get behind (Remembrance Day and St. Paddy's Day) aren't even holidays!
Bollocks to Victoria Day! Bring on Ice Fishing Day!
Mike - September 4, 2007 10:11 am
What will this Feb holiday be called?
Dalty-day?
Too-cold-to-do-anything-but-stay-in-and-read Day?
Gordo - September 4, 2007 11:04 am
I haven't heard the official response from the NDP about the holiday, but I imagine it's a lot of snickering. What a jaded, pathetic effort to buy votes.<p>
It's Family Day, Mike.<p>
We who have been planning the social democrat revolution have been very aware of the upcoming election as well as the electorate's utter surprise that one is coming. It will take some adjustment to get used to this "scheduled elections" thing.
Brother Iain - September 4, 2007 1:27 pm
I vote for Robarts Day. At noon, we all stop what we're doing to sing: "A place to stand, a place to grow ... "
Alan - September 4, 2007 1:33 pm
I vote for Mineral Resources Day. We ignore the fact and role of the Canadian Shield. There is a mineral resources office in the MacDonald Building (I think) at Queen's Park that could be the centre of activities.
David Janes - September 4, 2007 2:24 pm
I vote for "Ontario Day", not for the province but for all the roads that cross the 401 named "Ontario".
James Bow - September 4, 2007 4:38 pm
Spin off Toronto? It's what I've been saying. :-)
John Gushue - September 8, 2007 8:00 am
A small, pedantic-ish kind of point ... while the government of Newfoundland and Labrador still has a good few holidays itself (a vestige of a long-ago era), that doesn't mean everyone gets them. I think those of us outside of the general service agreement get the basic five statutory holidays; the rest depend on your own workplace agreement. Cheers!