BC's 10,000 business onwers are reminding the BC Government that it still has work to do to mitigate Family Day-related costs for independent business owners.

This week's annoucnement about which date Family Day will fall on gives small and medium sized business owners in BC some certainty and allows them to plan ahead.

But they are no further ahead in terms of the cost pressure they will face as a result of an added statutory holiday in this province.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business estimates Family Day will cost an average small business in BC paying an average wage to employees an extra $1135 in labour costs.

This is in addition to an estimated $3,051 small business owners must pay to transition to PST next year, as well as three minimum wage increases in the last 18 months, and the extra $1,250 all business owners are paying in corporate taxes as a result of government’s failure to eliminate the Small Business Corporate Tax Rate on April 1, 2012, as promised.

Small business owners acknowledge that Family Day has the potential to increase employee morale, and that for some limited sectors, such as hospitality and tourism, there are opportunities for growth.

But the majority say they need mitigation to help them with the financial burden this holiday places squarely on their shoulders.

In response, CFIB has approached the provincial government with a number of creative, cost effective measures to do this, including a proposed BC Training Bonus, program aimed at enhancing skills training and employee retention during times of labour shortages. The bonus would be paid directly to employees, not employers.