City council has designated March 13 as Nothing Special Day following a presentation by the Commemorative and Awareness Days Fatigue Society (CADFS).
At its regular meeting February 21, Council heard from Nolan Skaple, CADFS president.
鈥淓very month, every week, every day it seems we are commemorating something,鈥� Skaple said. 鈥淭his month is National Reading Month, Childhood Arthritis Month, Women鈥檚 History Month and Umbrella Month.
鈥淭his week is Brain Awareness Week, National Problem Gambling Week, National School Breakfast Week and Festival of Owls Week. At this very meeting, Council has declared this week Kin Week.
鈥淭oday is International Mother Language Day, tomorrow is World Thinking Day and March 1 is Pig Day. Pig Day! March 14 is Pi Day. That鈥檚 a day to celebrate a mathematical constant. It鈥檚 all very tiring.鈥�
Skaple requested March 13 be set aside as a break from commemorative days.
Lukas Gruber, a psychology professor at the University of Saskatchewan said Commemorative Day Fatigue Syndrome (CDFS) is a growing concern.
鈥淲ell, it鈥檚 not actually in the DSM [Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders], but I see lots of people, okay, one, who feels overwhelmed trying to keep up,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 try to tell him he doesn鈥檛 have to celebrate them all.鈥�
Asked if the patient was Skaple, Gruber cited patient confidentiality.
Not all members of Council voted in favour of the motion. Coun. Ken Chyz said designating the day Nothing Special Day defeats the purpose.
鈥淏y proclaiming it, we are not reducing the number of commemorative days, we are actually creating another one,鈥� he said.
Mayor Bob Maloney explained why Council went along.
鈥淲e couldn鈥檛 see any harm in doing it, and honestly, we just wanted to get out of there, the guy looked a little unstable,鈥� Maloney said. 鈥淲e declined to fly the Nothing Special Day flag, though.鈥�
