# Happy Family Day, Ontarians!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-family-day-ontarians/438144
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [February 18, 2008, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-family-day-ontarians/438144 "2008-02-18T19:43:45Z")
**Posts on this page:** 14
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2008, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-family-day-ontarians/438144/1 "2008-02-18T19:43:45Z")
That’s right we’re on holiday.
It’s the brand newest of holidays, Family Day.
So new that even though it’s a statutory holiday so they normally wouldn’t, I had both mail delivery and garbage pickup. It happened too suddenly for it to make any sense to change the existing schedule. A clever/cheap political ploy in a recent provincial election, so other provinces don’t have Family Day. Too bad, so sad.
Banks and shops are all closed, maybe drug store or variety store are open, it’s likely different in larger metropolitan areas. So there’s not a lot to do, but who doesn’t want a long weekend in February? The weather is horrid, it’s snowing now, but earlier is was ice storm and walking the dog was quite slippy.
Family Day! There is no known protocol of what’s for dinner or who should come. No tradition to adhere to, there isn’t even Hallmark cards. So do what you please, make it up as you go along, that’s my thoughts.
We’ve decided on roast beef and pie!
Hope you’re enjoying your new holiday!
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### Author:  [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2008, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-family-day-ontarians/438144/2 "2008-02-18T19:53:15Z")
What, no love for Alberta?
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### Author:  [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2008, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-family-day-ontarians/438144/3 "2008-02-18T19:57:08Z")
I know it does seem odd. I’m certain it’s only because it’s just that new!
After all, it makes it seem like somehow the other provinces aren’t part of family. Surely that can’t last. This is a bandwagon the rest of Canada is happily going to jump on, I sense.
We here in Ontario, well, what can I say, we’re trendsetters!
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### Author:  [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2008, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-family-day-ontarians/438144/4 "2008-02-18T19:59:08Z")
I now go to create my family. Bwa ha ha ha…
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### Author:  [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2008, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-family-day-ontarians/438144/5 "2008-02-18T20:14:38Z")
I don’t know if you’re trying to be funny or not - we’ve had Family Day in Alberta for…a long time now. Are you whooshing me?
(They also celebrate a day off with pay in February in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, South Africa and Australia.)
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### Author:  [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2008, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-family-day-ontarians/438144/6 "2008-02-18T20:34:06Z")
:eek:
I am not trying to be funny, nor whooshing you, I honestly had no idea. I thought it was just a thing Dalton thought up. Clearly I should pay closer attention. :smack:
Well, then tell me, are there cards?, rituals?, protocols? South Africa and Australia too! Well happy Family Day to all of y’all. 😃
Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta and Ontario. That makes us look like a disjointed and somewhat dysfunctional family sort of.
Oh yeah, and let me just retract that ‘trendsetters’ crack, sorry about that.
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2008, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-family-day-ontarians/438144/7 "2008-02-18T20:51:20Z")
Down here it’s President’s Day. We celebrate by standing around a bust of Washington and singing presidential carols, then go out and buy a discount mattress at the ONE DAY ONLY!!! sale.
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### Author:  [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2008, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-family-day-ontarians/438144/8 "2008-02-18T21:00:48Z")
Let’s see, cards, rituals, protocols - well, we sleep in, then we don’t go to work, and we might go out for dinner later. Maybe we could mix some nanaimo bars or butter tarts into the day, too - Family Day Butter Tarts? That work for you?
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### Author:  [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2008, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-family-day-ontarians/438144/9 "2008-02-18T21:23:49Z")
[QUOTE=featherlou]
(They also celebrate a day off with pay in February in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, South Africa and Australia.)
[/QUOTE]
In Australia I think that it’s celebrated only in the ACT, where its introduction last year to coincide with Melbourne Cup day (under the title Family and Community Day) was much lampooned.
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### Author:  [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2008, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-family-day-ontarians/438144/10 "2008-02-18T23:09:57Z")
According to [the CBC](http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2008/02/18/riel-day.html) Alberta started the Family Day trend in Canada in 1990. Saskatchewan introduced it in 2006. Ontario has its first this year. Manitoba is apparently celebrating Louis Riel Day.
And I’ll pause here, **elbows** , for the obligatory remark about Ontario thinking it’s the centre of the universe and therefore must have invented the concept. 😉
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### Author:  [@Mahna\_Mahna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahna_Mahna)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2008, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-family-day-ontarians/438144/11 "2008-02-18T23:22:01Z")
Holi-what?
I was at work at 7:30am today, generously heping to lug brekkie from Tim Horton’s for the morning crew in our war room (this being a holiday for everyone else in the company, our cafeteria and such were all closed).
And no, I didn’t get time and a half either.
Sigh. ☹
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### Author:  [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)
#### Post date: [February 18, 2008, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-family-day-ontarians/438144/12 "2008-02-18T23:26:57Z")
God bless Peter Lougheed’s coke-snorting son.
Or not, since I have a Monday deadline that cares not for holidays, and just means everyone I need to get ahold of is unavailable.
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### Author:  [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)
#### Post date: [February 19, 2008, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-family-day-ontarians/438144/13 "2008-02-19T06:34:29Z")
[QUOTE=PastAllReason]
\
And I’ll pause here, **elbows** , for the obligatory remark about Ontario thinking it’s the centre of the universe and therefore must have invented the concept. 😉
[/QUOTE]
Heh - I wasn’t going to go there. 😃
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### Author:  [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)
#### Post date: [February 19, 2008, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-family-day-ontarians/438144/14 "2008-02-19T07:43:03Z")
[QUOTE=elbows]
That’s right we’re on holiday.It’s the brand newest of holidays, Family Day.
[/QUOTE]
Not all of us , worked today on straight time. Company stated that they had a bye since they give us 13 paid days off a year and thus exempt.
Declan