Civic Holiday
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.
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 is 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, which marks the “birthday” of this province. 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 territory in 1896, which lead to the Klondike gold rush.
