Civic Holiday Explained

Holiday Name:Civic Holiday
Type:Public
Official Name:
  • Civic Holiday (federal,,,)
  • British Columbia Day
  • Heritage Day
  • New Brunswick Day
  • Saskatchewan Day
  • Natal Day
  • Terry Fox Day
Duration:1 day
Scheduling:nth weekday of the month
Frequency:Annual
Observedby:Canada (most jurisdictions)
Week Ordinal:first
Weekday:Monday
Month:August

Civic Holiday (French: congé civique) is a public holiday in Canada celebrated on the first Monday in August.[1]

Though the first Monday of August is celebrated in most of Canada as a public holiday,[2] it is only officially known as "Civic Holiday" in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, where it is a territorial statutory holiday.

In other provinces and municipalities, the holiday is known by a variety of names, including British Columbia Day in British Columbia, New Brunswick Day in New Brunswick, and Saskatchewan Day in Saskatchewan; all of these places celebrate the date as a provincial statutory holiday.

The holiday is celebrated as Heritage Day in Alberta; Natal Day in Nova Scotia,[3] in commemoration of the founding of the Halifax–Dartmouth area; Natal Day on Prince Edward Island celebrating the birth of the province; and as Terry Fox Day in Manitoba, in honour of the Manitoba-born athlete.[4]

The date is also celebrated as several municipal holidays in Ontario, such as Simcoe Day in Toronto, John Galt Day in Guelph, and Colonel By Day in Ottawa.

Despite its special designations, the day is not a statutory holiday in Nova Scotia, Manitoba, Alberta, or Ontario; however, it is commonly observed by all levels of government, financial institutions and some businesses.[5]

The word civic is in reference to municipalities (such as cities, towns, etc.), as this day is not legislatively mandated a public holiday across the country by the Canadian federal government and is often given a different, more specific name by some municipalities or provinces.

Alberta

In 1974, the Government of Alberta, acting through Minister of Culture Horst A. Schmid, declared the first Monday in August an annual holiday to recognize and celebrate the varied cultural heritage of Albertans, known as "Heritage Day".[6] This gave rise in 1976 to the Edmonton Heritage Festival, a three-day celebration of food, dance, and handicrafts of cultures from around the world. Heritage Day is not a statutory holiday but is often celebrated as such.[7] [8]

British Columbia

In 1974, Surrey MLA Ernie Hall, part of the BC NDP government of Dave Barrett, introduced legislation in the provincial legislature to establish the day as a provincial statutory holiday.[9]

As the name suggests, British Columbia Day, commonly referred to as "BC Day",[10] celebrates the history, heritage, and culture of British Columbia.

Manitoba

In Manitoba, the first Monday in August is celebrated as "Terry Fox Day" in honour of athlete and cancer research activist Terry Fox, who was born in Winnipeg in 1958.

The province marked the first Terry Fox Day on 3 August 2015, making Manitoba the first province to name a day in Fox's honour.[11] British Columbia and Ontario have since begun to celebrate "Terry Fox Day" on the second Sunday of September, as that is usually the national date for the Terry Fox Run.[12]

New Brunswick

In New Brunswick, the first Monday in August is celebrated as "New Brunswick Day".

It was first proposed in October 1974 by Progressive Conservative premier Richard Hatfield as part of his party's re-election platform.[13] It was first observed on Monday, 4 August 1975.[14]

Nova Scotia

In Nova Scotia, the first Monday in August is celebrated as "Natal Day" in the Halifax–Dartmouth area and Annapolis Royal, which began in 1895 as a celebration of the province's history. In the late 1900s, the rest of the province became entitled to celebrate a civic holiday, which falls on the same day as Natal Day. It is not a statutory holiday.[15]

Dartmouth Natal Day Road Race, one of the longest running road races in North America, is part of the Natal Day festivities in the Halifax Regional Municipality.[16]

Ontario

In Ontario, the first Monday of August is technically a municipal holiday, as it is not designated as an official statutory holiday by provincial legislation. Various private member's bills have been introduced in the Ontario Legislature attempting to make it official, but none have passed to date.[17]

As such, the holiday takes on different names and celebrates different subjects according to municipality. Many Ontario municipalities have chosen to honour a significant local person or organization in order to localize the celebration; when not given a local name (such as in Mississauga),[18] the day is often generically referred to as "Civic Holiday" or "August Civic Holiday".[19]

In 2008, the Ontario Legislature passed a law identifying the first of August as "Emancipation Day", as the British Parliament abolished slavery in the British Empire as of 1 August 1834. This still did not make it an official holiday, however. The Toronto Caribbean Carnival, formerly known as Caribana, is held the same weekend in Toronto.

The Civic Holiday is now known by one of a number of local appellations, including, among others:

Although a work holiday is given to employees of the federal, provincial, and many municipal governments (usually by inclusion in the contract with the employees' union), the Government of Ontario has not defined this day as a statutory holiday that all employers must treat as a holiday, and it is not mentioned in Ontario's Employment Standards Act nor the Retail Business Holidays Act.[29] [30]

Schools are generally already closed, regardless of the holiday's status, because of summer vacation.

Simcoe Day

In 1869, the city of Toronto became the first to introduce the civic holiday when the Toronto City Council called for a midsummer holiday for a "day of recreation". In 1875, the City Council fixed the first Monday in August as a Civic Holiday.

The holiday was renamed "Simcoe Day" in 1969 in honour of John Graves Simcoe, the first lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada, who established York (now Toronto) as the capital of Ontario, and who was the leading proponent of the Act Against Slavery. However, a motion at the Ontario Municipal Association to extend the name change across Ontario failed.[31] According to proclamations from the city, this name continues to apply in Toronto.[32]

Prince Edward Island

The holiday is not an official holiday, although some businesses may close for the day.[33] Additionally, federal workers receive the day off and federal services are closed, but municipal and provincial services and workers have varying decisions made on their status, with some choosing to have a day off in celebration of the Gold Cup Parade instead.[34] This leads to a mix of openings and closings across the province. The capital city of Charlottetown has its own Natal Day, in early June, not to be confused with Nova Scotia's Natal Day.[35]

Saskatchewan

An official holiday on the first Monday in August was first proposed in Saskatchewan on 17 March 1975, by Gordon Snyder, Saskatchewan's Minister of Labour. The holiday was already celebrated by businesses across Saskatchewan, but Snyder wanted it to be a recognized statutory holiday known as "Saskatchewan Day". His proposal was approved in June of that year and the first Saskatchewan Day was celebrated that August.[36]

The first Monday of August in Saskatchewan is therefore a statutory holiday as designated in the Labour Standards Act.

Non-observing jurisdictions

The first Monday in August is not generally observed as a holiday in Quebec, parts of Newfoundland and Labrador, or Yukon, but replacement summer holidays may be observed as follows:

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 21 January 2016 . Public holidays . live. 9 May 2021 . Canada Revenue Agency. https://web.archive.org/web/20170716182452/https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/public-holidays.html . 16 July 2017.
  2. Web site: 21 April 2008 . Holidays in the provinces and territories . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090204023006/http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/jfa-ha/prov-eng.cfm . 4 February 2009 . 23 July 2008 . Canadian Heritage.
  3. Web site: Natal Day in Canada . timeanddate.com. 27 June 2011. 12 June 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110612160919/http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/canada/natal-day. live.
  4. Web site: Lawson . Kim . 30 July 2014 . August holiday to be named Terry Fox Day, Manitoba premier says . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150805183638/http://globalnews.ca/news/1481875/august-holiday-to-be-named-terry-fox-day-manitoba-premier-says/ . 5 August 2015 . 31 July 2015 . Global News.
  5. Web site: Kudelik . Gail . 9 August 2009 . Civic Holiday . 2 August 2024 . The Canadian Encyclopedia . en.
  6. Web site: The Festival History . https://web.archive.org/web/20140805035959/http://www.heritage-festival.com/the-festival-history/ . 5 August 2014 . 4 August 2014 . Heritage Festival Edmonton.
  7. Web site: Employment standards – Alberta general holidays . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210802151126/https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-general-holidays.aspx#jumplinks-2 . 2 August 2021 . 2 August 2021 . Government of Alberta.
  8. Web site: Statutory holidays in Alberta for 2021 and 2022 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210802151125/https://www.statutoryholidays.com/alberta.php . 2 August 2021 . 2 August 2021 . Statutory Holidays Canada.
  9. News: Hoekstra . Matthew . 29 July 2016 . B.C. Day is more than just a day off . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160730184255/http://www.peacearchnews.com/news/388672681.html . 30 July 2016 . 2 August 2024 . Peace Arch News.
  10. Web site: 28 July 2021 . What's open on the BC Day long weekend in Vancouver . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210731041943/https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/whats-open-bc-day-long-weekend-in-vancouver . 31 July 2021 . 2 August 2024 . Listed . DailyHive.
  11. Web site: 3 August 2015 . Manitoba Terry Fox Day honours memory of famed Winnipeg runner . 2 August 2024 . CBC.
  12. Web site: Terry Fox Day . 2 August 2024 . Pearson.
  13. News: N. B. Holiday Propose . The Moncton Transcript . 28 October 1974 . 30 July 2021 . 30 July 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210730130511/https://da.tj.news/viewer?opub=Moncton_Transcript&date=19741028&page=1&filename=1058_MT_A8057 . live.
  14. News: Transportation Services Ready For Holiday Weekend . The Moncton Transcript . 1 August 1975 . 30 July 2021 . 30 July 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210730130510/https://da.tj.news/viewer?opub=Moncton_Transcript&date=19750801&page=13&filename=0602_MT_A8065 . live.
  15. Web site: Jones . David . 6 August 2018 . Remember This? The Origins of Natal Day . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20211202223945/https://halifax.citynews.ca/remember-this/remember-this-the-origins-of-natal-day-1007288 . 2 December 2021 . 24 July 2022 . CityNews Halifax.
  16. Web site: Race History . 2 August 2024 . Dartmouth Natal Day Road Race.
  17. Web site: First Monday in August Holiday . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210609021502/http://www.craigmarlatt.com/canada/symbols_facts%26lists/august_holiday.html . 9 June 2021 . 9 May 2021 . CanadaInfo . CraigMarlatt.com.
  18. Web site: 29 July 2020 . The History Behind the Civic Holiday . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200927050710/https://www.modernmississauga.com/main/2020/7/29/the-history-behind-the-civic-holiday . 27 September 2020 . 1 August 2020 . Modern Mississauga Media .
  19. Web site: 1 August 2013 . What's open/closed on holiday Monday . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150720231103/http://www.therecord.com/news-story/3919473-what-s-open-closed-on-holiday-monday/ . 20 July 2015 . 2 August 2024 . Waterloo Region Record.
  20. Web site: Happy James Cockburn Day, Cobourg!!! . Washburn . Robert . 2 August 2010 . Consider This . 1 August 2020 . 23 September 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200923220421/https://consider-this.ca/happy-james-cockburn-day-cobourg/ . live.
  21. Web site: 17 July 2019 . George Hamilton Day 2019 Celebrations . 2 August 2024 . Hamilton.ca . City of Hamilton.
  22. Web site: Weymark . Jennifer . 1 August 2018 . Celebrating McLaughlin Day in Oshawa . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200925093444/https://oshawaexpress.ca/celebrating-mclaughlin-day-in-oshawa/ . 25 September 2020 . 1 August 2020 . The Oshawa Express .
  23. Web site: Colonel By Day Long Weekend . 2 August 2024 . Heritage Ottawa .
  24. Web site: Boyce . Josh . 7 August 2017 . Sarnia Recognizes Alexander Mackenzie Day . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200929111011/https://blackburnnews.com/sarnia/sarnia-news/2017/08/07/sarnia-recognizes-alexander-mackenzie-day/ . 29 September 2020 . 2 August 2024 . Sarnia News Today . Blackburn Media .
  25. News: 12 December 1968 . Holiday Renamed for Simcoe . registration . . A1.
  26. News: West . Bruce . 4 August 1969 . Simcoe's Day . registration . . 17.
  27. Web site: 6 October 2005 . A holiday with history . https://web.archive.org/web/20080805150119/http://www.toronto.com/travel/article/000-000-317 . 5 August 2008 . 18 October 2012 . Toronto.com.
  28. Web site: Kundacina . Anja . 16 June 2020 . Vaughan Wants To Change The Name Of A Holiday That Celebrates A Slave Owner . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200919102138/https://www.narcity.com/news/ca/on/toronto/benjamin-vaughan-day-is-being-reconsidered-in-ontario-for-its-racist-ties . 19 September 2020 . 1 August 2020 . Narcity . Since 2013, the civic holiday has been named Benjamin Vaughan Day in the city to honour the historical figure..
  29. Web site: 1 July 2024 . Employment Standards Act, 2000, S.O. 2000, c. 41 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20080511190128/http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/statutes/english/elaws_statutes_00e41_e.htm . 11 May 2008 . 2 August 2024 . ontario.ca . Government of Ontario.
  30. Web site: 29 November 2021 . Retail Business Holidays Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. R.30 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20081011154153/http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/statutes/english/elaws_statutes_90r30_e.htm . 11 October 2008 . 2 August 2024 . ontario.ca . Government of Ontario.
  31. News: 19 December 1968 . Municipal Group Won't Condemn Regional Rule . 11 . Toronto Daily Star.
  32. Web site: Proclamations for the current term of Council from November 2022 to December 2023 . 2 August 2024 . City of Toronto.
  33. Web site: 6 June 2024 . Paid Holidays . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180809024956/https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/information/workforce-and-advanced-learning/paid-holidays . 9 August 2018 . 2 August 2024 . Government of Prince Edward Island.
  34. News: 4 August 2018 . Aug. 6 holiday: What's open and closed on P.E.I. . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180807091914/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-open-closed-civic-holiday-august-6-1.4770363 . 7 August 2018 . 8 August 2018 . CBC News.
  35. Web site: 6 June 2017 . Charlottetown will celebrate its 162nd birthday with Natal Day events . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180809060154/http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/community/charlottetown-will-celebrate-its-162nd-birthday-with-natal-day-events-68357/ . 9 August 2018 . 2 August 2024 . SaltWire.
  36. Web site: Francis . Jennifer . 4 August 2018 . What is Saskatchewan Day and how do we celebrate it? . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190807075322/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/saskatchewan-day-how-do-we-celebrate-1.4773846 . 7 August 2019 . 5 October 2019 . CBC News.
  37. Web site: Reinauer . Elke . Discovery Days: Celebrating Yukon's Unique Holiday . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230728011905/https://www.whatsupyukon.com/yukon/communities/discovery-days/ . 28 July 2023 . 27 July 2023 . Whats Up Yukon Events Magazine . Discovery Day has been a territorial holiday that takes place on the third Monday of August. It celebrates the first gold found at Yukon's Bonanza Creek on August 17, 1896..
  38. Web site: 16 August 2010 . Discovery Day honours Yukon's Gold Rush past . . 27 July 2023 . 28 July 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230728011903/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/discovery-day-honours-yukon-s-gold-rush-past-1.904673 . live.
  39. Web site: Public Advisory: 2015 Shop Closing Holidays . . 3 November 2014 . 5 August 2015 . 24 September 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150924090026/http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2014/servicenl/1103n05.aspx . live.
  40. Web site: 13 May 2020 . Regatta holiday on a Monday? COVID-19 really has changed everything . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201030004803/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/regatta-holiday-monday-1.5567329 . 30 October 2020 . 11 November 2020 . CBC News.
  41. Web site: 10 July 2020 . Regatta Day Replacement Holiday Officially Set for August 3 . 11 November 2020 . VOCM.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Civic Holiday".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.