Happy Moving Day!

It's Canada Day... and also Moving Day! 

What exactly is Moving Day, you ask? Well, it's more of a tradition and not a legal requirement throughout Quebec dating back to when the provinces used to mandate fixed leases for rental properties. It falls on July 1, which is also Canada Day. 

The tradition dates back to when feudal landlords began evicting their tenant farmers before all the winter snow was melted. It was (and still is) common to move during the spring. 

The tradition evolved into a a requirement that made all urban leases begin on May 1 and end on April 30. The law was set in the Civil Code of Lower Canada of 1866 thus May 1 became Moving Day - the day when renters would physically vacate their rentals. 

In 1973, the Quebec government moved Moving Day (hah) to the summer so that children could finish out their school years at the same school. Making Moving Day fall on the same day as a holiday also saves workers the hassle of taking off of work. 

Moving Day is still a popular time to move so be sure to plan ahead as many companies may be swamped with calls and jobs! 

And since it's also Canada Day, try one or a few of these treats to keep your spirits up for your move. 

Tourtière
This is basically a meat-based pie--think lots of crust, lots of meat and lots of flavor. Here's a recipe for a pork-based pie. 

Poutine

• Fries
• Gravy
• and white cheddar cheese curds

Or you can head out and find some Montreal-style wood-fired bagels if you're away from the Great White North during Canada Day. 

Did you think we'd forgotten about maple syrup? We didn't. Make some easy maple-candied bacon with this recipe:

Spicy Maple Candied Bacon

You'll need:

• about 1/2 cup of maple syrup
• 1/2 pound of thick cut bacon
• a pinch of cayenne pepper
• finely ground black pepper

Mix the maple syrup and cayenne pepper until combined.  

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees C (400 degrees F). 
2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy foil and place a baking rack over the sheet tray. 
3. Arrange bacon slices on the rack with no overlapping. 
4. Generously spoon on the maple syrup mixture onto the bacon. 
5. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. 
6. Turn the bacon over and add more syrup mixture. 
7. Bake another 5 to 10 minutes. 
8. Sprinkle with pepper while the bacon is still hot and let it rest for about 5 minutes. 

Enjoy! 

How do you celebrate Canada Day... or Moving Day?