Ontario won't recognize new September 30 holiday as a stat
Though the Canadian government has declared September 30 as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Ontario will not be honouring the date as a stat holiday, which takes place for the first time ever this year after the discovery of the remains of thousands of Indigenous children on the grounds of former residential schools nationwide.
@fordnation should be ashamed! But then again when should he not be 🤔 A day that is meant for acknowledgment and reflection and most of the people who the day is for will be stuck working. What an idiot
— ambam (@ItsReallyAmber) September 9, 2021
The day is meant to address the "heavy toll of our colonial past" and prompt reflection and learning, Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault said back in June when the day was announced, calling it "an important step in the path toward reconciliation, which won't be achieved in the blink of an eye."
The 80th call to action in the damning six-volume final report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, released in 2015, asked that Ottawa establish a day to "honour [residential school] survivors, their families and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process."
I agree. We should reserve stat holidays for a dead monarch that visited here once or twice.
— Legacy Spurs Fan Lawrence (@lawrencebromley) September 8, 2021
Having stat holidays to remember fallen soldiers or the plight of indigenous people is just frivolous bullshit
And though Sept. 30 — the same date as Orange Shirt Day, which marks the same tragic legacy — will remain a stat holiday for federally-regulated workplaces and employees, the rest of us in Ontario will not necessarily be getting the day off.
The province confirmed to CTV News on Wednesday night that the day "is not a provincial public holiday this year," though "employers and employees may agree to treat this day as such" depending on contracts and negotiations.
A spokesperson said that Ontario will be treating the day much like Remembrance Day, which is also not a public holiday but which people typically pause to observe with a moment of silence while at work or school.
Of course federal employees will get the day off, but for those who truly understand what September 30 means... But then Ontario does not observe November 11 as a stat. either. So no surprise. Very unfortunate.
— Destiny Walsh (@Destiny61254578) September 9, 2021
Provinces such as Alberta, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick have likewise said that they won't be recognizing the date as a provincial statutory holiday.
