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$Unique_ID{COW00727}
$Pretitle{408}
$Title{Canada
Chapter 3C. Leisure}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Ivan P. Fellegi}
$Affiliation{Statistics Canada}
$Subject{canada
parks
national
leisure
park
activities
events
fort
time
canadian}
$Date{1990}
$Log{Victoria, BC.*0072703.scf
}
Country: Canada
Book: Canada Handbook
Author: Ivan P. Fellegi
Affiliation: Statistics Canada
Date: 1990
Chapter 3C. Leisure
Industrialization and technological progress in Canada have led to
shorter workweeks, longer paid vacations, earlier retirement and hence has
provided more time for leisure and recreation.
Definitions of leisure are numerous and reflect a variety of views.
Leisure can be simply defined as those groups of activities undertaken in
"non-work" time; it has also been described as that group of activities in
which a person may indulge as desired - to rest, to amuse, to add to knowledge
or skills, to enhance personal, physical and mental health through sports and
cultural activities, or to carry out unpaid community work. However, many
definitions of leisure exclude activities such as sleeping, eating, commuting
to and from work, household duties and personal care. Formal programs of
continuing education may be regarded as personal improvement or maintenance
just as much as sleeping or eating and therefore may also be excluded from
leisure activity.
Despite the fact that there is no precise agreement on what constitutes
leisure, there is agreement on a core of activities that offer recreation
or give pleasure to the participants. Examples would be playing tennis or
listening to records. There are activities that may be regarded as undesired
household tasks in some circumstances, yet pleasurable recreational activities
in others, such as moving the lawn, cooking, dressmaking or house painting.
Thus, recreation and leisure are valued differently according to personal
tastes and inclinations. These may vary not only between persons but in
different circumstances for the same person.
There is a reciprocal relationship between work and leisure. Longer
working hours mean less time for leisure. Additional work time normally
provides additional income, while additional leisure time typically leads to
increased expenditures. The distribution of time between work and leisure is
theoretically a matter of choice, but in practice most employed persons have
only limited freedom in determining how long they work. Working hours and
holidays in Canada are normally fixed, either by employers or as a result of
collective bargaining, according to current legislation and accepted norms.
As a result Canadian workers are typically committed to working a fixed number
of hours a day and days a week.
The normal workweek in Canada is from 35 to 40 hours spread over five
working days. Most employees receive at least 10 paid holidays annually and a
two-week annual vacation, which is usually extended to three, four or more
weeks after several years of service with the same employer. Allowing
for weekends, paid holidays and annual vacations, most employed persons in
Canada have at least 124 days free from work each year. The amount of non-work
time available to Canadians depends also on the proportion of the population
studying full time or in the labour force and whether the latter are employed
or seeking employment. Those outside this group have more free time. Typical
of these are persons who have retired early or are elderly.
Events and Attractions
Every year, in all parts of Canada, annual events and attractions draw
large numbers of vacationers and travellers seeking diversion, excitement and
relaxation. Events such as the Quebec Winter Carnival and the Calgary Stampede
are organized to promote or celebrate historical, social or cultural
occasions. On the other hand, attractions can be either natural or man-made
physical features of a permanent nature that provide facilities for displaying
distinctive architectural or geographic qualities or for recreational or
cultural activities. In this category are museums, parks, mountains and city
nightlife; specific examples would be a natural phenomenon like Niagara Falls
or a man-made attraction such as Lower Fort Garry in Selkirk, Man.
Outstanding events take place in each province and territory. One of the
oldest sporting events in North America is Newfoundland's annual regatta, held
in St. John's. Prince Edward Island's capital city, Charlottetown, features
Country Days and Old Home Week, with musical entertainment, agricultural and
handicraft displays, harness racing and parades. Nova Scotia events include
Highland Games in the centres of Cape Breton, while in New Brunswick there are
a variety of festivities related to the province's fishing resources, such as
the Shediac Lobster Festival and the Campbellton Salmon Festival.
An attraction in Quebec is Man and his World, Montreal's permanent
cultural and ethnic exhibition. Drama festivals in Stratford and
Niagara-on-the-Lake are examples of happenings in Ontario.
Western Canada's events reflect its cultural diversity and pioneering
heritage. Examples include the National Ukrainian Festival in Dauphin, Man.,
Oktoberfest in Vancouver, BC, the Stampede in Calgary, Alta. and Pioneer Days
festivities in Saskatoon, Sask.
Special events are held each summer in the North. In Yellowknife, NWT, a
Midnight Golf Tournament is held each year late in June. In Dawson City,
Yukon, the discovery of gold in 1896 is celebrated on Discovery Day in August
by raft races on the Klondike River and by dances, sports and entertainment
relating to the period.
Recreation
The types of leisure activities undertaken vary widely according to the
age, sex, income and occupation of the individual. Popular sports or physical
recreational activities include swimming, ice skating, tennis, golf and ice
hockey. In recent years cross-country skiing has become increasingly popular
with a participation rate of 16.9 per 100 Canadians, up from a rate of 7.7
five years previously.
[See Victoria, BC.: Victoria, BC.]
Popular activities in Canada include watching television, listening to
radio, reading newspapers, listening to records or tapes and reading
magazines. Visits to bookstores, movies, sports events and public libraries
are also popular.
Government Programs
All levels of government play an active role in enriching the leisure
time of Canadians and several federal agencies have major programs related to
leisure. Among these is Fitness and Amateur Sport Canada, which is mainly
responsible for recreation and physical fitness programs and which carries out
a number of programs aimed at encouraging citizens of all ages to take part in
physical fitness activities; it provides financial and consultative assistance
to recreational agencies such as the YMCA, boys' and girls' clubs, Scouts,
Guides and youth hostels. It also assists Canada's native people in increasing
their participation in sports and recreation.
For the area in and around Ottawa-Hull, the National Capital Commission
plays an important role in conserving and developing space for outdoor
recreation. The facilities it provides include Gatineau Park, an area of 357
km^2 (square kilometres) similar to a national or provincial park, a system of
scenic driveways and bicycle paths and a greenbelt of land forming a
semi-circle of recreational land to the south of Ottawa; it also maintains the
longest outdoor skating rink in the world on the Rideau Canal during the
winter and rents out garden plots in the greenbelt during the summer.
Canadian Parks Service
National Parks
Canada's national parks system began with a 26 km^2 reservation of land
around the mineral hot springs in what is now Banff National Park. From this
nucleus the system has grown to include 33 national parks that preserve more
than 180 000 km^2 of Canada's natural areas. The Canadian Parks Service has
divided Canada into 68 natural regi