Not all welcome Saskatchewan's inaugural Family Day

Saskatchewan's newest statutory holiday is meant to give peopletime off to be with their families, but it will mean longer working hours for business owners,saysthe provincial director of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

The federation surveyed about 300 small business owners last month about their feelings about Family Day. Itfound 42 per cent of owners polled predicted aloss ofsales or revenue because of the new holiday.

"While many Saskatchewan residents are looking forward to Family Day and a long weekend, the reality is many small business owners will be working longer hours to make up the shortfall from either lost sales, revenue or lost production, and also the increased labour costs that go with a stat holiday," said Marilyn Braun-Pollon.

Braun-Pollon said more than 30 per cent of those surveyed said they would have to operate longer hours on Monday to make up the shortfall.

About one-fourth of the business owners said they would have to pay overtime to keep operating whileworkershave the day off, she said.

About 28 per cent told the federationthe holiday would have no impact.

Braun-Pollon said Saskatchewan is the last province needing an extra day off. It now has the highest number of publicholidays 10 days in the country, she said.

She said that under the province'slabour laws, workers are guaranteed three weeks ofpaid vacation a year. All other provinces and the federal government guarantee only two weeks.

In 1990, Alberta became the first province to introduce the holiday, on the third Monday in February each year.