We Are Thankful

Thanksgiving is on Monday, October 11th (the second Monday in October) which is a statutory holiday for most of Canada in which we are given the opportunity to spend time with our loved ones.

We at Northern Weldarc Ltd. are thankful for our families, our amazing staff, clients, contractors, and subcontractors! We are thankful that we have an awesome staff that work safely and consider theirs and their coworkers health and safety while working as well as continue to carry it on when not at work. We are thankful that we have stayed open during the pandemic, although we were sad to see some of our employees leave but we are thankful that many have now returned to us as we sure missed them. We are thankful that over 90% of our staff are vaccinated from COVID at their own choice and that we did not have to implement it as being mandatory. We are thankful that we do rapid testing on site to ensure that our staff continue to stay healthy and that we will stay vigilant in keeping it that way.

Thanksgiving is an annual holiday that celebrates the harvest and other blessings of the past year. It has been a Canadian celebration since 1879.

Thanksgiving History

Thanksgiving was observed beginning in 1799 but did not occur every year. The first national Thanksgiving in Canada was celebrated in the “Province of Canada” in 1859. It was organized at the behest of leaders of the Protestant clergy, who appropriated the holiday of the American Thanksgiving, which was first observed in 1777 and established as a national day of “public thanksgiving and prayer” in 1789. In Canada, the holiday was intended for the “public and solemn” recognition of God’s mercies. As historian Peter Stevens has noted, some citizens “objected to this government request, saying it blurred the distinction between church and state that was so important to many Canadians.

Thanksgiving was first observed as an annual event in Canada starting, the 6^th of November 1879. The date for each of the following years, as well as a unifying theme for which to give thanks (usually concerning the harvest, though anniversaries related to the British monarchy were also common), was determined annually by Parliament.

Beginning in 1921, Thanksgiving and Armistice Day (introduced in 1919) were celebrated on the same day — the first Monday in the week of November 11^th. In the year 1931, to give more recognition to veterans, the 11^th of November was set solely as Remembrance Day. Thanksgiving was again proclaimed annually and typically observed on the second Monday in October. It was not until January 31st, 1957, that Parliament proclaimed the observance of the second Monday in October as “a day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed.”

Europeans who brought the tradition to North America did mark the day by giving thanks for a successful harvest. However, the Canadian and American holidays are no longer restricted to harvest activities and have become a day for gathering family and friends to give thanks for their general well-being.

Each of us have our own reasons to be thankful. Whether there are many or just a few, stop, take a breath, look around you and be grateful. Happy Thanksgiving!