Blame Canada

Last Friday, as you may know, was Canada Day. Canada Day is the closest thing Canadians have to our Independence Day, so I assumed that they would celebrate Canada Day the same way we celebrate July 4th. This assumption proved to be incorrect on at least one account. On Friday, we headed across the border to meet up with some friends at a Provincial Park on the coast of Lake Erie for a weekend camping trip. Not wanting to bother with the vagaries of transporting alcohol, meat, and produce across the border, we decided to pick up these things once we arrived in Canada. I know for a fact that most American grocery stores are open on July 4th, because I have worked at an American grocery store on July 4th. In fact, I was hired for that job based on a single qualification (after being legally employable in the US, I suppose) - the ability to work on July 4th. In Canada, almost every grocery store was closed all day and the ones that were not were only open through the late afternoon. Almost all of the beer and liquor seems to be sold at state-run stores, which were all closed on Canada Day, of course. On one hand, I think it's nice that a lot of service industry people who usually have to work when the rest of us get to relax get the day off. On the other hand, what kind of country prevents its citizens from purchasing alcohol on its biggest summertime holiday? So if you ever travel to our neighbors to the north on Canada Day with the intention on boozing it up once you arrive, make sure to BYOB.