Office closed August 4 for Civic Holiday
Civic Holiday? What is that? Seriously, what is it?
A short explanation is, “a day to celebrate your province!”
According to timeanddate.com, the Civic Holiday is explained in this way:
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.
So, in honour of Ontario, the OzTREKK office will be closed Monday, Aug. 4 for the Civic Holiday but will reopen Tuesday, Aug. 5 at 8:30!
Enjoy your Monday, OzTREKKers!