Map of Simcoe County c1950s or so
Toronto. … with apologies to Bill Shakespeare. A long weekend break for the working folk is a great idea! Traditionally, The holiday in question is August 1st and celebrated the first Monday on or after the 1st.
One or two problems: The name of the holiday varies by time, city and province. Sometimes it is federal, sometimes provincial and some times municipal. This means some folk have the day off, others do not. Stores and entertainments may or may not be open that day in one city or another.
When I was a kid, we called August 1st “Simcoe Day” in memory of John Graves Simcoe, the first Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada. Later it became the “Civic Holiday” and later still [in Toronto] “Emancipation Day” while the defined long weekend remains the “Civic Holiday” (sort of).
Growing up on Lake Simcoe, the name “Simcoe Day” made sense to my young mind. No matter the name, it is a welcome pause after summer begins and before fall sets in. Happy Holiday, everyone! And as they say, “See you in September”.
