British Columbians can mark off Feb. 11, 2013, as their newest statutory holiday, Premier Christy Clark announced Monday.

Family Day will fall on the second Monday in February, which gives B.C. workers 10 statutory holidays a year and brings the province to the same level as Saskatchewan and Ontario. But if any romantics had ideas of celebrating Valentine’s Day on a long weekend, they’re out of luck: Feb. 14 won’t fall on a Family Day Monday until 2022.

A confirmed date for the long-promised holiday comes after weeks of gathering feedback from citizens, who were able to state their preference for the second or third week of February using a web poll.

The tool collected 31,146 votes between May 8 and 22, with 18,202 votes for the second week, and 9,436 for the third week. The remaining votes did not state a preference for either week.

“Having our own unique day in B.C. creates distinctive opportunities for families and local businesses,” said Clark in a statement. “British Columbians will be able to enjoy all kinds of local attractions with fewer lineups and less out-of-town traffic.”

Monday’s announcement quickly stirred debate among groups concerned about what the holiday means for businesses.

“A new stat holiday will be another overhead cost for the business community,” said John van Dongen, MLA for Abbotsford South, in a release. “With an average cost of $1,135 to a small business with fewer than five employees, small businesses are already struggling.”

Although the confirmed date brings some certainty for small business owners who can now plan ahead for the holiday, many are concerned about added pressure on their businesses, said Shachi Kurl, provincial director for the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses.

“We surveyed our membership more than a year ago when we were told this might be coming, and the overwhelming majority of small business owners didn’t want to see Family Day coming because of the labour costs involved,” said Kurl.

One economist is skeptical the holiday will have a large impact on businesses.

Helmut Pastrick, chief economist with Central 1 Credit Union, says statutory holidays may make a minor impact on small businesses depending on what kinds of services they offer, but others could benefit.

“Some businesses might cater to a statutory holiday, or vacation day activities,” said Pastrick. “Some businesses might do better under those conditions. In February, skiing may see some gains.”

Staff at B.C. mountains agree the holiday will be good business, but say the real boon is its placement during the second week of February. If Family Day fell on the third week, resorts would already be crowded from U.S. visitors celebrating President’s Day and some Albertans visiting during their own Family Day.

“The third Monday is already doubled-up with a lot of holidays on it,” said Tabetha Boot, spokeswoman for Whistler Blackcomb.

“So from a guest services perspective, that Monday would not be good at all.”

Sarah Lusk, a spokeswoman for Grouse Mountain, added that, “For us and tourism, it’s a great thing. Now there are two fun weekends in February for families to get together.”

mravindran@vancouversun.com