Whereas the Family Day holiday is observed in British Columbia on the second Monday in February, while the Family Day holiday is observed on the third Monday in February in Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan, along with Louis Riel Day in Manitoba, Heritage Day in Nova Scotia and Islander Day in Prince Edward Island; And whereas aligning the BC Family Day holiday with other provinces would allow families to more conveniently share the holiday with family from other provinces; And whereas from a commerce and business perspective, aligning the BC Family Day holiday with other provinces and with Presidents Day in the USA would allow our province to remain open for business on a day when national and international commerce, business, and markets are open; And whereas weather on the later February week end is generally expected to be more favorable for highway travel as compared to a week earlier: Therefore be it resolved that the government of the Province of British Columbia be encouraged to engage in a public consultation process with a view to answering widespread calls to align the date of the BC Family Day holiday with the other provinces in Canada by moving the date of the BC Family Day holiday from the second Monday to the third Monday in February.
Ministry of Labour After listening to the many families and businesses who have indicated that such a change would be welcome, Government is committed to moving BCs Family Day from the second to the third Monday in February. The purpose of Family Day is to celebrate the importance of families and family life to people and their communities. Currently, by observing the statutory holiday a week earlier than other jurisdictions, families spread out beyond BC are unable to be together. Government therefore intends to honour the spirit of Family Day by putting families first and moving the statutory holiday to align with those provinces and states that observe a Family Day or other statutory holiday on the third Monday in February. In addition, businesses who have employees located across North America will gain efficiencies by observing a single, shared statutory holiday. While a change to Family Day is not being considered for 2018, Government will be seeking a timeline that works for British Columbians. Stakeholders, including those in the travel and tourism industries, will be consulted about how to make the transition from the second to the third Monday in February as smooth as possible.