September 25th 2023

Non-Instructional Day

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labour_Day_(Canada)

History

Labour Day has been marked as a statutory public holiday in Canada on the first Monday in September since 1894. However, the origins of Labour Day in Canada can be traced back to numerous local demonstrations and celebrations in earlier decades.^[2] Such events assumed political significance in 1872, when an April labour demonstration in Toronto, in support of striking printers, led directly to the enactment of the Trade Unions Act, a law that confirmed the legality of unions.^[3]

A Labour Day parade in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in the early 1900s

Ten years later, on July 22, 1882, a huge labour celebration in Toronto attracted the attention of the American labour leader Peter J. McGuire, who organized a similar parade in New York City on September 5 that year. Unions associated with the Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor in both Canada and the United States subsequently promoted parades and festivals on the first Monday in September. In Canada during these years, local celebrations took place in Hamilton, Oshawa, St. Catharines, Ottawa, and London in Ontario, as well as Montreal, Quebec; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Vancouver, BC. Montreal declared a civic holiday in 1889. In Nova Scotia, coal miners had been holding picnics and parades since 1880 to celebrate the anniversary of their union, the Provincial Workmen’s Association, first organized in 1879.^[3]

In 1889, the Royal Commission on the Relations of Labor and Capital in Canada recommended recognition of an official “labour day” by the federal government. In March and April 1894, unions lobbied Parliament to recognize Labour Day as a public holiday. Legislation was introduced in May by Prime Minister John Sparrow David Thompson and received royal assent in July 1894.^[3]

British Columbia Day in Canada is the name for the first Monday in August when residents of British Columbia celebrate their local heritage. In other Canadian provinces, the same day is known by different names unique to their respective areas, for example, “George Hamilton Day” in Hamilton, Ontario, and “Saskatchewan Day” in the province of that name. British Columbia Day recalls explorer James Douglas’ discovery of the southernmost tip of Vancouver Island, the site of the current city of Victoria, and the eventual announcement by the British that the region would become the colony called British Columbia. Similarly, other provinces focus on their particular items of culture, history, and political development.

https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/national-day-truth-reconciliation.html

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Each year, September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

The day honours the children who never returned home and Survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.

This federal statutory holiday was created through legislative amendments made by Parliament.

Wear orange

Both the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day take place on September 30.

Orange Shirt Day is an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day intended to raise awareness of the individual, family and community inter-generational impacts of residential schools, and to promote the concept of “Every Child Matters”.  The orange shirt is a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations.

On September 30, we encourage all Canadians to wear orange to honour the thousands of Survivors of residential schools.

The next General Membership Meeting will be September 20th at 8pm with the BBQ starting at 6:30pm.  This meeting is for ALL members.  It will be a hybrid meeting so you can join online with Zoom or come in person.

You must pre-register for this meeting using your FIRST AND LAST NAME even if you plan to attend in person as all voting is done through Zoom.

You WILL NOT be let into the meeting unless you register using your first and last name.

Register in advance for this meeting.  Click here to go to the Chronicle to register

or click here https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUqdu iuqzMuE9HfJ-ruBHl9iwbAg2Z0_Iag

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with the confirmation

This year the EA/ABA (IESW) Placement meeting will be at the Bell Centre at Sullivan Heights Secondary.

Please note that taking a position at this meeting will mean you will be still considered a Spareboard IESW because these positions are considered a temporary position, even if they happen to be for the full 2023/2024 school year.

EA Spareboard Shop Steward
Amanda Williams
ssseasecondary@cupe728.ca
604-818-2019