(Image credit: the Canadian Press).

By Mel Rothenburger

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: Day of Mourning should have been declared a full stat

Sep 14, 2022 | 4:47 AM

MONDAY WILL BE a national holiday to mark the Queen’s funeral. Not everybody thinks it’s a good idea and not everybody will get the day off.

Federal employees will be off work, but several provinces will mark it in different ways, leaving it up to businesses to decide on their own whether or not to close.

And a lot of ordinary folks say we have enough declared holidays.

Business groups worried about having to pay employees time and a half if they kept their doors open on Monday.

In B.C., Premier John Horgan says public schools and universities, and most Crown corporations will be closed. Private-sector employees should “find a way to recognize or reflect” on the day, he said.

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It’s unfortunate our official period of mourning is now marked with disagreement over how we should observe the day of her funeral — which, by the way, might more appropriately be referred to as a celebration of life but Day of Mourning works.

Monday, Sept. 19, 2022, is the day we formally say goodbye to a beloved monarch who has been there for us for 70 years. Observing that day as a public holiday is a gesture of respect, and she certainly deserves our respect.

To be sure, not everyone who does get the day off will spend it with the Queen in mind. Many or most will go camping or catch up on some yard work as they often do on other stats.

But it’s important to mark the passing of our monarch with more than souvenir mugs. Sept. 19 should have been declared a proper, full-on stat.

Should it be an annual holiday? No. This is one day, the only day Queen Elizabeth II will receive a final farewell. Since Monday isn’t a statutory holiday, take time to contemplate, as Horgan says. A day off for all would have been better. It’s a day to collectively mourn, not to work.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.