B.C.'s first Family Day set for Feb. 11, 2013
CBC News
Posted: May 28, 2012 8:04 AM PT
Last Updated: May 28, 2012 7:13 PM PT
Five Canadian provinces observe a holiday on the third Monday in February. British Columbia will observe Family Day beginning in 2013. (CBC)
B.C.'s first Family Day will be held on the second Monday in February, Premier Christy Clark announced on Monday morning.
That will make the date for the first Family Day Feb. 11.
More than 30,000 people submitted their choices online to help the government determine which Monday in February should be chosen for the new public holiday.
The main question was whether Family Day should fall on the third Monday of the month, the same date as holidays in other provinces and Presidents' Day in the United States, or if B.C. should have its own Family Day on the second Monday when ski resorts and other holiday spots might be less crowded.
Family Day was first held in Alberta in 1990 and has caught on in other provinces, but is not a federal holiday.
During her run for the B.C. Liberal leadership in January 2011, Clark first promised to bring in the new holiday on the third Monday in February to create a break between New Year's Day and Easter.
People in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan all have the third Monday day off. The provincial holiday is known as Louis Riel Day in Manitoba and Islander Day in Prince Edward Island.
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