Photo by Whitehorse Star
Pictured above: JOHN STREICKER and SCOTT KENT
Costs of new statutory holiday outlined
The Yukon Party supports making National Aboriginal Day a statutory holiday,
The Yukon Party supports making National Aboriginal Day a statutory holiday, but it wants to know exactly how much it’s going to cost.
“We obviously want to see this day celebrated,” Yukon Party MLA Scott Kent told reporters Tuesday.
“We want to make sure that impact to the employers is minimized to the best extent it can be.”
Specifically, Kent wants to know the financial impact of another statutory holiday on Yukon businesses, municipalities, NGOs and the federal and First Nations governments.
“We are asking the government just to do a little bit more homework on this before they implement it,” said Kent.
The Community Services critic said he is considering proposing an amendment that would push implementation back one year.
That would give the business community time to plan for the extra vacation day.
The new holiday will cost the Yukon government between $100,000 and $120,000, on top of the day’s regular payroll, said Community Services Minister John Streicker, who tabled the bill.
The range comprises overtime wages to government employees who go to work that day.
As for how the new holiday will affect government productivity, that’s harder to measure, said Streicker.
“You lose some productivity on that day, but you also gain some productivity because your staff is just happier generally,” he said.
“There’s always a balance when it comes to holidays.”
A new statutory holiday this summer will cost the city around $80,000 for overtime plus regular payroll, said spokesperson Jessica Apolloni.
In previous statements to the Star, Mayor Dan Curtis said an additional paid vacation day could cost the city between $200,000 and $300,000.
“That was a very early guestimate when he had not spoken to finance (officials),” said Apolloni.
The Yukon Liberal Party introduced legislation Monday to make National Aboriginal Day on June 21 a territory-wide vacation day starting this year.
The motion to make the day that celebrates indigenous culture and heritage a statuatory holiday was first introduced by former NDP MLA Kevin Barr. It received unanimous support in the house in December 2015.
The Yukon Party held off instituting the holiday so it could consult with Yukoners, the business community and First Nations on the implications of adding another holiday to the calendar year.
The government reached out to more than 1,400 Yukoners. A summary of those consultations shows that, unsurprisingly, the business community is less enthusiastic about a new statutory holiday than the general public.
More than two thirds, 68.1 per cent, of the business community members do not support the holiday, nor do 54.3 per cent of employers.
The holiday has resounding support from First Nations citizens, with 91.7 per cent supporting the holiday, and from employees, 85.9 per cent of whom are in favour.
Overall, 83.3 per cent of Yukoners support the move that would make the Yukon the second jurisdiction in Canada to have National Aboriginal Day as a vacation day.
It is currently a statutory holiday in the Northwest Territories.
National Aboriginal Day is already a paid day off for all First Nation government employees in the Yukon.
About half (48.7 per cent) of people in the business community said they would be slightly or not at all affected by an additional holiday.
A quarter of business respondents (26.9 per cent), said they would be negatively affected.
Jonas Smith, executive director of the Klondike Placer Miners’ Association (KPMA), said his organization “absolutely does support recognizing First Nations contributions to Yukon culture and we support efforts toward reconciliation.”
However, there is concern about the costs of an additional statutory holiday in their already short mining season, Smith said.
“Due to the nature of the work, long days, many days on the job without a day off, and because of how that work is paid, it’s very common for overtime to exceed regular payroll,” said Smith.
In a letter to former Community Services minister Currie Dixon, which was also sent to Streicker, the KPMA suggested dropping another statutory holiday in exchange for National Aboriginal Day.
Citing this proposal, Kent said, “There’s some opportunities to be creative.”
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Comments (19)
Up 15 Down 30
Politico on Apr 29, 2017 at 8:52 pm
Amazing how many people want to return us to the days of 1910. Let's go back to 12 hr work days, 6 days a week, no medical coverage, poor houses and debtor prisons, no sick days, no holidays, no worker rights so you could be fired on the spot if your wife didn't want to sleep with your boss, child labour, all those good things from the good ol days. Sweden, Germany and Switzerland treat their employees far better than the North Americas and still have economies which are steaming ahead of us. Maybe it's NA businesses which should look at the way they do business. Turning your employees into slave workers may increase short term profits but doesn't build a strong country.
Up 35 Down 8
Groucho d'North on Apr 28, 2017 at 9:45 am
I wonder how long it will be before government receives requests for funding to conduct celebrations to recognise Aboriginal Day in various Yukon communities? June 21 is the peak of tourism season, so it stands to reason that there be some events to engage these visitors considering recent surveys suggest that first nations culture is a significant interest to our visitors. So what will this day really cost when all is said and done?
Up 30 Down 7
Yukonpete on Apr 27, 2017 at 4:55 pm
Make it a private sector Stat holiday only. Government and City employees already get extra stat days! ie Boxing day, Easter Monday.
Up 15 Down 26
Capitan on Apr 27, 2017 at 4:54 pm
They should remove Discovery Day. It celebrates a pretty narrow, corporate event and you could argue it brought as much heartache as positive benefits. There's also Labour Day two weeks later, so not a big loss. Plus the Chamber of Mines isn't all that keen for another holiday, anyway. It strikes me as a fitting repeal and replace.
Up 11 Down 12
Eurekia! on Apr 27, 2017 at 4:38 pm
@YukonMax Should you not have figured these in your contract bid?
Up 29 Down 11
YukonMax on Apr 27, 2017 at 1:30 pm
I run a government facility as a contractor with one employee. But because the contract is based on hourly rate, 7 days a week, I have to work that holiday and every other as well. So out of the rate for those days, I am basically making $8.00 an hr. since the rest goes to pay my employee. A stat holiday cost me roughly $600.00. Do as Trump wants to do...repeal and replace, repeal and replace.
Up 23 Down 32
ProScience Greenie on Apr 27, 2017 at 9:57 am
The summer solstice has always been a day to have an early summer party with most people knocking off early so really no big deal. As far as the money goes, the extra cost is just a drop in the bucket considering that almost everything in both the public and private sector here is paid for by our annual welfare check from Ottawa.
Up 56 Down 22
Craig on Apr 26, 2017 at 9:26 pm
Most YTG employees are not really doing anything anyways so the real cost for this Statutory holiday is minimal in real production.
Up 44 Down 9
anonymous on Apr 26, 2017 at 7:35 pm
Just interested to find out how they came to the numbers of Yukoners in favour and against. I have not found a single person that has been asked what they think. Hmmmmm! What agenda is it this time? Curious.
Up 50 Down 8
noorth_of_60 on Apr 26, 2017 at 7:30 pm
Make it an unpaid holiday and see how quickly support dies.
When the majority of jobs are in the four levels of government, then it's not surprising that a majority of Yukoners would like to be paid more to work less.
Up 14 Down 34
BnR on Apr 26, 2017 at 7:13 pm
The Yukon Chamber of Mines and the KPMA- where old Yukon Party executive assistants go after they get punted.
Back to the topic at hand though, how about just change Discovery Day to Aboriginal Day?
Up 16 Down 10
Don't forget the $1 costing the private sector on Apr 26, 2017 at 6:14 pm
This costs the Yukon 30 plus jobs.
Up 50 Down 22
Jc on Apr 26, 2017 at 5:58 pm
How about a "Second Nations" stat holiday, since we pay for most if not all the taxes in this country. Or would that be considered racist?
Up 38 Down 9
Jc on Apr 26, 2017 at 5:51 pm
"You lose some productivity on that day, but you also gain productivity because your staff is just happier generally". Now, that has got to be the stupidest statement I have heard in many years. By the way, I am a conservative and I distance myself from that idiotic remark. As a politician, he should be ashamed of himself for making such a statement.
Up 19 Down 25
Dean Larue on Apr 26, 2017 at 4:58 pm
"The Yukon Party supports making National Aboriginal Day a statutory holiday, but it wants to know exactly how much it’s going to cost."
Weasel words from the Weasel Party
If you don't like the cost then you CAN'T support it, Sanctimonious Scott
Up 70 Down 20
How much longer? on Apr 26, 2017 at 4:40 pm
The $100-$120-000 number is classic misinformation. This is just the ADDITIONAL overtime cheques. Gov Yukon payroll & benefits is in range of $2 million per day. We will now pay that for a day of nothing so this is the true taxpayer cost.
Additionally, on productivity, I have lost count of the times I have been told government officials cannot be expected to meet at least the day before, or after, a stat.
Do this but trade it for Rendezvous.
Up 27 Down 69
Hugh Mungus on Apr 26, 2017 at 4:16 pm
Kent - By your logic Yukoners should work 12 hour days, 7 days a week to shovel cash into the pockets of local businesses. We work hard (most of us) all year long and deserve to spend some quality time with our firends and families on Aboriginal day/Solistice.
Up 24 Down 29
Half Pregnant on Apr 26, 2017 at 4:12 pm
There is no such thing as halfway pregnant neither is there such a position on the full support of National Aboriginal Day by Yukon Partiers in any form or guise.
Has Kent flip-flopped on this issue or not? He along with compatriots we're dead set against this when it was first suggested by Kevin Barr. (Oh, we can't afford this.)
I'm never sure where this weather-vane is pointing.
Up 56 Down 16
It not hard to do the math on how much it cost for holiday on Apr 26, 2017 at 4:06 pm
Take the daily pay total costs and divide it into the total salary paid per day the Yukon Government. On average YTG employee works 262 days minus 12 holidays, which equals 250 days a year. If you take $481 million the YTG pays out in salary per year. That equal $1,924 million for the cost of this holiday. The Premier is a math specialist and knows the number they put is BS.