Londoners mark big moment in history with small tokens of sincerity — and Britishness

The mourners have been drifting through the aisles at A Taste of Britain all week, the small British grocery store in the north end of London, Ont., where Union Jacks, mushy peas, tea and other small tokens of Britishness have been selling steadily since the death of Queen Elizabeth II — as Londoners look to find small ways to mark a big moment in history.

"It's been a little busy," said Laura Hewitt, the manager of the shop. "Ninety per cent of our customers are ex-pats but we have seen a few more."

"You can tell they're emotional. There won't be anything like this in our lifetime probably, but for the most part, people just want something that reminds them of home."

Still, you don't need to be an ex-pat to feel a sense of loss over a monarch who reigned, not just the United Kingdom, but Canada for 70 years. 

"I know what it's like to lose family. This is not just a loss to a family. It's a loss to a country and to many countries and it's somebody who's been a part of our whole lives and beyond," said Nancy Pukila, who along with Jonathan Pukila went down to London city hall to sign the book of condolence that has been placed in the building's lobby. 

"Here's a woman who led a country and was the head of state for Canada. You want an example of somebody with class and professionalism, who could get along and not back down at the same time?"

"She was an amazing example for women."

On Tuesday, the federal government declared a federal holiday for the day of the Queen's state funeral on Monday Sept. 19. The Prime Minister's Office said that unless the provinces come on board with the plan, only federal government employees will get that day off.  About 85 to 90 per cent of workers are regulated by provincial governments.

A few hours later, Premier Doug Ford announced Ontario would not get a holiday and would instead observe a "day of mourning," encouraging the province's students to learn about the Queen's contributions to the province in school and telling the public it can observe a moment of silence at 1 p.m. that day. 

His announcement came only a few hours after the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses urged provinces to reject the federal holiday, saying it would "cost the economy billions."

In the United Kingdom, a bank holiday has been announced for the funeral date that will see government services and schools shuttered. Businesses will not be required to close or compensate employees.

Both New Zealand and Australia, however, have declared that they will hold one-time-only national holidays to mark the occasion.