The head of Kootenay Rockies (Tourism) believes the establishment of the Family Day holiday on the second Monday in February each year will have a “significant impact” on the tourism industry in this region.

Kootenay Rockies president Chris Dadson told e-KNOW he sees the formation of this holiday, announced May 28 by Premier Christy Clark and Margaret MacDiarmid, Minister of Labour, Citizens’ Services and Open Government, will “have a significant impact on the economy of this region.”

He applauds the government for choosing the second Monday as opposed to the third, which would mirror Alberta’s annual Family Day celebration.

“Our winter resorts and other tourism operators presently operate at near-capacity on the third weekend of February as the Monday of this weekend is a holiday for both Alberta and the U.S. If the BC holiday was scheduled for the same weekend the opportunity for more business would have been somewhat limited. But with the BC Family Day now scheduled for the Monday of the second weekend, providing our industry a back-to-back long weekend revenue opportunity, the result will be a substantial increase in staff employment hours and incremental economic activity in all our communities,” Dadson stated.

“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 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.

Ian Cobb/e-KNOW

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