Civic Day is one of the oldest Canadian public holidays. Canada celebrates it on the first Monday in August. It doesn’t have any historical or religious significance. It simply is a day off from work.
The origin
Civic Day was originally created by a municipality. With time it spread from the municipal to the provincial level and across all Canada. John Carr, a councillor of Toronto in the 1850s, 1860s and 1870s, was the person who proposed to the city council to make this holiday.
In Toronto, there is another important historical figure whom we need to remember on this day. It is John Graves Simcoe. John Graves Simcoe was the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada (now Ontario) and he did quite a lot for Upper Canada. First, he proposed the Anti-Slavery Act in Upper Canada. Second, he founded towns, built roads and infrastructures and introduced trial by jury. He also granted land to those who fought together with the Loyalists during the American Revolutionary War against the Americans. Last, but not least, he was responsible for constructing Yonge Street with the help of Queen’s Rangers.
Different Names
Due to Simcoe’s crucial role in making Toronto what it is now, the province of Ontario named the holiday Simcoe Day in 1969. The holiday goes by different names in different cities across the province and across Canada to honour other historic figures. In Burlington, for example, people call it Joseph Brant Day, in Ottawa it goes by Colonel By Day, and John Galt Day in Guelph.
Even though it is not a national holiday, many other provinces also celebrate the long weekend. The holiday goes by different names depending on the area. It’s known as Natal Day in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, Regatta Day in Newfoundland, Heritage Day in Alberta, and British Columbia Day in B.C.
Since Civic Day is not an official holiday in Ontario, so businesses are not required to close on Monday. According to the provincial Retail Business Holidays Act, they may stay open at the discretion of the municipality.
