VANCOUVER - Premier Christy Clark, along with Margaret MacDiarmid, Minister of
Labour, Citizens' Services and Open Government were joined by local families at
the Vancouver Aquarium today to announce that B.C.'s Family Day will take place
on the second Monday in February each year, beginning in 2013.
"Creating a Family Day in B.C. was an important priority for me. Today, my
government is following through on that commitment and I am proud and delighted
to let families across B.C. know that our very first Family Day will be on
Monday, Feb. 11, 2013," said Premier Christy Clark. "Having our own unique day
in B.C. creates distinctive opportunities for families and local businesses.
British Columbians will be able to enjoy all kinds of local attractions with
fewer lineups and less out-of-town traffic."
The decision to select the second Monday in February comes after government
followed through on a commitment to consult with the public and private sectors,
as well as hear from citizens directly.
"We heard a lot of thoughtful points of view from British Columbians about which
day they'd prefer. The response we had from the public was outstanding - it's
great to see people know we want to hear from them, and that we're listening,"
said MacDiarmid.
Record numbers of British Columbians participated in online discussions by
sharing their thoughts and registering their preference. The web poll component
of the Family Day website gathered a total of 31,146 selections, along with
3,069 comments, with the choice of the second Monday registering a total of
18,202 selections, 9,436 selections for the third Monday, and 3,508 selections
of no preference.
"The B.C. ski industry would like to thank the provincial government for how it
has managed the Family Day consultation. We are very pleased with the outcome
and we are confident that this decision will drive significant benefits for the
tourism industry, the provincial economy and the people of British Columbia,"
said David Lynn, president and CEO, Canada's West Ski Areas Association.
"The announcement of Family Day is recognition of the diversity and hard work of
families across the province. As an organization that supports families, the
B.C. Association of Family Resource Programs applauds the provincial government
for making this decision, which we believe will fortify family connections and
build community," said Sherry Sinclair, senior board member of the B.C.
Association of Family Resource Programs.
For more information on the consultation process and outcome, please visit:
www.gov.bc.ca/citz/reports_publications.html