Family Day is not only a day off from work, it's also going to be a day off from some traffic tickets, too.
The city has confirmed the suddenly-called February 18th holiday, promised by Premier Dalton McGuinty
during the last provincial election campaign, has forced it to figuratively tear up more than 1,000 tickets given out by traffic enforcement officers.
The reason: those due to challenge the fines on the date when the hastily called holiday is held won't be able to get their due process because the courts will be closed. The result is a withdrawal of the yellow tags and a free ride for some motorists who received them.
Most of the infractions affected are for minor offences, like parking or speeding.
"We have about 2,000 a day that come through the courts," explains spokesman Brad Ross. "On February 18th we have about 1,500. We reviewed all those cases and determined that some of them we would have to withdraw because of the undue delays would actually end up costing the city more in court costs than it would in the fines that we may have realized."
But the city is adamant it will still prosecute major cases. That means anyone caught going more than 30 kilometres an hour over the limit or charged with careless driving can still expect to face a judge.
Affected drivers will receive a letter from the city confirming their ticket has been quashed.
The entire loss to the city is estimated to be around $50,000, but that's just the tip of the financial iceberg. The rest of Ontario has been caught up in the "Family Day" chaos as well, and similar scenarios may take place in municipalities across the province, resulting in lost revenue that cash-strapped cities badly need.
The dead-of-winter break has been popular with voters and employees, but businesses aren't quite as happy about Family Day. They estimate it will
cost them millions to give workers the day off or pay them overtime to come in on what's suddenly a legal holiday.
Many companies have tried to compensate by taking a day off from employees at some other time. And those whose workplace falls under federal jurisdiction may not get any benefit at all - they're not governed by provincial edicts. McGuinty insists all the problems can be worked out and that once the province gets used to the idea, it will become a cherished day of rest for most.
"Ontario's economy is strong enough to accommodate an extra public holiday," a
government FAQ on the holiday maintains. "While there may be some initial impact on productivity, that will likely be made up when employees return to work."
The document also makes this suggestion that may raise a few eyebrows. "Employees who get time off may work even harder when they are back on the job," it concludes.