Family Day

  It's Family Day in many provinces here in Canada. Most grocery stores, malls and businesses are closed. The government is shut down. No mail delivery or banks are open. Almost all services are closed so their employees can spend the day with their family. Wonderful isn't it?

  I remember the first Family Day in Alberta many, many years ago. I was bartending and who should sit at the bar but the Premier! After getting his drink he asked me how I was enjoying Family Day. What a strange question I told him. He looked very surprised and asked me why. Because I'm not spending the day with my family, I'm working!

  See Family Day started out as a government day off. Malls and groceries were open "holiday" hours. All restaurants, bars, gas stations, coffee shops and drugstores were open.  I guess at first their families didn't count. The only people not at work were government and bank workers. 

  Things have changed now. Almost, and I stress almost, everything is closed. Except the restaurants, bars, coffee shops, gas stations and drugstores. Ok not so many changes.

  While I understand that it's your holiday, remember the waitstaff, pharmacy technicians and gas bar workers all have families too. Theirs just don't seem as important as everyone else's.

  Ang