Civic/Provincial Day in Canada
The first Monday of August is a holiday for
people in many parts of Canada. It is a statutory holiday in some provinces and
territories but in others it has another legal status. It is often called the
"August Holiday", "Civic Holiday", "Provincial
Day" or other local names, such as Terry Fox Day in Manitoba.
Provinces and territories across Canada have a civic or provincial holiday
in the first Monday in August
Celebrate Civic/Provincial Day
On the first Monday in August and, in some places, throughout the first
week of August, various events are held to celebrate aspects of local culture,
history and achievement. Many celebrations are low-key and are organized by
community members. These include: making and distributing birthday cakes for
the province; sports events; and communal meals, such as breakfasts, barbecues,
lunches and suppers. Larger events include professional displays of fireworks,
road races and cultural festivals.
Public Life
The legal status of the first Monday in August varies between provinces and
territories. The first Monday in August is a statutory holiday in: British
Columbia (British Columbia Day); New
Brunswick (New Brunswick Day);
Saskatchewan (Saskatchewan Day or Civic Holiday), and Nunavut (Civic Holiday)
and the Northwest Territories (Civic Holiday).
It is a holiday of some form in Alberta (Heritage Day), Manitoba (Terry Fox
Day), Newfoundland and Labrador (Civic Holiday, although the date is fixed by
municipal council orders), Nova Scotia (Natal Day), Ontario (Civic Holiday,
Simcoe Day or Colonel By Day), Prince Edward Island (Natal Day). It is important to note
that while some employers in Ontario give their employees a holiday on the
first Monday in August, the employer is not required to do so under Ontario’s Employment
Standards Act, 2000 (ESA).
Schools, post offices, as well as many businesses and organizations are
closed, while many workers have a day off in these areas. People are advised to
check with the local authorities, transport services and businesses as to when
services and stores are available on this day. Large scale parades, road races
and other public events may cause some local disruption to traffic in some
towns and cities. The first Monday of August is not a public holiday in Quebec
and Yukon.
About Civic/Provincial Day
In many parts of Canada, the holiday on the first Monday in August is
simply known as Civic Day or the August Holiday. However, a wide range of local
names are also used. Some of these include the names of provinces, such as
British Columbia Day, New Brunswick Day and Saskatchewan Day. Others use a name
to highlight a particular aspect of the celebrations, such as Natal Day in Nova
Scotia and Prince Edward Island, which marks the "birthdays" of these
provinces. Another example is Heritage Day in Alberta, which is an occasion to
celebrate the heritage of the peoples of the province. The origins of the
holiday on the first Monday in August seem to stem back to a “day of
recreation” first organized by Toronto City Council in 1869.
In Ontario, a range of local names are used, which often honor significant
people in the history of the province. In Toronto, the first Monday in August
is known as Simcoe Day after John Graves Simcoe, who founded the town of York,
Upper Canada, which became Toronto. He was also the first lieutenant governor
of the province. In Ottawa, it is called Colonel By Day in honor of John By,
who led the construction of the Rideau Canal, or Waterway, and founded Bytown,
which became the city of Ottawa.
In the provinces of Quebec and Yukon, celebrations of local history and
culture are held on different dates. Quebec's National Holiday is held on St Jean Baptiste Day, which is
June 24. Discovery Day in Yukon is on the third Monday in August and
commemorates the discovery of gold in the province in 1896, which lead to the
Klondike gold rush.
Symbols
There are no symbols of the Civic Holiday that are used throughout Canada.
However, each province and territory has its own flag and coat of arms. Many
also have a provincial tartan and flowers, trees, birds and minerals or
gemstones, which are used as symbols of the provinces.
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