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Our Featured
Celebration
 Here is the official meaning of this day
in Ontario - Simcoe Day
The 1st Monday in August is a holiday
all across Ontario. But the holiday is
called different things in different
areas.
In fact, the first Monday in August is a
municipal holiday. The Civic Holiday is
not designated as an official statutory
holiday by provincial legislation. In
the past few years, a number of private
member's bills have been introduced in
the Ontario Legislature attempting to
make it official, but none has passed to
date.
The concept of a midsummer holiday in
Toronto dates as far back as 1869. In
Toronto today, the holiday is celebrated
as “Simcoe Day”, but according to recent
studies, only 16% of the population
actually knows that. While other Ontario
municipalities have chosen to
honour a
significant local person or organization
to help focus the celebration, in most
municipalities the day is referred to as
the “August Civic Holiday”.
The table below presents a selection of
events in the history of the August
Civic Holiday in Ontario.
1869 - Toronto City Council originated a
midsummer holiday for a "day of
recreation".
1871 - A Bank Holiday was established by
the House of Commons in England. Sir
John Lubbock declared that Toronto in
Canada had found an August holiday
"advisable and satisfactory."
1875 - Perhaps after the precedent set
by Sir John Lubbock, Toronto City
Council fixed the first Monday in August
as a Civic Holiday.
1968 - Toronto City Council officially
called the civic holiday “Simcoe Day”
after Major-General John Graves Simcoe,
who was appointed the first Lieutenant
Governor of Upper Canada on September
12th, 1791. He convened the first
Legislative Assembly and established
York (now Toronto) as the capital of the
province. One of his crowning
achievements was to begin the phasing
out of slavery in Upper Canada, which
officially ended in 1810 – 23 years
before it was abolished in the British
Empire and 55 years before the
Emancipation Proclamation in the United
States.
1980 - Burlington celebrates the holiday
as "Joseph Brant Day." Joseph Brant was
a Mohawk Chief who became known for his
treaty negotiations and loyalty to the
British.
1982 - The City of Brantford adopted a
policy that stated that the civic
holiday be named "Founders' Day". Each
year, the Brantford Heritage Committee
submits a report to City Council with
the name or organization that is to be
recognized on that day.
1996 - The City of Ottawa passed a
by-law proclaiming the Civic Holiday as
"Colonel By Day". John By (1779-1836)
was a British Lieutenant-Colonel and
military engineer. His most noteworthy
achievement was the building of the
Rideau Canal and
Bytown (now Ottawa) was named
after him.
1998 - Sarnia City Council passed a
resolution declaring the holiday
"Alexander Mackenzie Day". The
Honourable
Alexander Mackenzie was Canada's second
Prime Minister from 1873-1878.
1999 - The Town of
Cobourg proclaimed the holiday as
"James Cockburn Day". James Cockburn was
a father of Confederation and
represented the riding of Northumberland
West in the Legislative Assembly of
Canada, 1861-67. |
