The next public (statutory) holidays are Christmas Day on Monday, December 25, 2023, Boxing Day on Tuesday, December 26, 2023, and New Year’s Day on Monday, January 1, 2024. Christmas Day and New Year’s Day are observed as public holidays across Canada, while Boxing Day is only a public holiday in Ontario and federally regulated workplaces.
2023 is coming to an end, and organizations continued facing challenges throughout the year post-pandemic. However, First Reference would like to express our sincere gratitude for your continued support. We hope you and your families, your employees and their families always stay healthy and safe.
Instead of mailing holiday cards, we donate to an organization that helps people in need every year. This year’s donation goes to StepStones for Youth.
StepStones was founded in 2004 by Kathryn Leonard and Heather O’Keefe, and began as a volunteer-run, overnight summer camp for girls aged 6-14 who had experienced abuse, trauma and neglect. It has since expanded its services to young people of all genders who were in, exiting or had transitioned out of the foster care system and who required urgent preventive and intervention support to avoid dropping out of school and experiencing homelessness, mental health crises, isolation and perpetual poverty. In 2013, Kathryn passed away, but her legacy is still felt in StepStone’s innovative and evidence-based mentorship and homelessness prevention program, which has grown to assist over 300 youth annually. Today, StepStones is a recognized industry leader across the national child welfare sector. StepStones has received several awards for its work supporting youth involved in child welfare and driving for better systems and approaches for educational achievement by securing stable housing and building long-lasting support networks. Click here to find out more about StepStones.
Please note that our offices and Ask the Editor service will be closed for the holidays starting on Friday, December 22, 2023, at noon and will reopen on Tuesday, January 2, 2024. During this break, we will not be blogging. The next blog is scheduled for January 2, 2024.
We would like to thank you for your continued support as another year ends. From all of us at First Reference, we wish you a happy and safe holiday.
- First Reference annual holiday donation, season’s greetings, and holiday break - December 22, 2023
- Top 10+ First Reference Talks blog posts for 2023 - December 22, 2023
- A new version of form T3010 is coming in January 2024 - November 24, 2023
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