No elective surgeries were scheduled at Sudbury Regional Hospital Monday when nurses had the day off.
Monday was Heritage Day. As part of their collective agreement, most members of the Ontario Nurses Association had a holiday, and the hospital was operating with reduced staffing levels.
Heritage Day was established in 1973 by the Heritage Canada Foundation, and is celebrated the third Monday of February to encourage the promotion of Canada’s nationally significant historic, architectural, natural and scenic heritage.
Heritage Canada Foundation has long advocated adopting this date as a national holiday. (Feb. 15 is Flag Day, the anniversary of when the Canadian red maple leaf flag was adopted in 1965.)
Heritage Day is also promoted by advocates of a long weekend between New Year’s and Easter because it would be a boon to winter tourism.
Although it was never approved by Parliament, when it was being seriously considered in the 1970s, many Canadian unions got the winter long-weekend holiday written into their collective agreements.
“It’s a statutory holiday for us,” says Ann Kennealy, president of the Ontario Nurses Association Local 013. “It would be like a weekend. That’s the norm for any holiday like Christmas. Surgeries aren’t pre-scheduled on Saturday and Sunday and Christmas day. It’s nothing new.”
She says she’s not sure how long nurses have been given Heritage Day off as part of their collective agreement, but says “it’s been awhile.”
Hospital spokesperson Sean Barrette confirmed surgeries were not scheduled for Monday.
He says the hospital honours all aspects of collective agreements with employees.
“The hospital is always respectful of collective agreements,” he says.
