THUNDER BAY — The August long weekend falls on the first Monday of August. But the true purpose behind it has likely been lost over the years, with many simply happy to have an extra day off from their daily grind.
Provinces and territories across Canada call the day something different; in British Columbia, it's commonly called "BC Day." While other provinces have similar namings for the day, others like Quebec, Newfoundland and Nunavut don't observe the occassion; instead, it's substituted with a different day and purpose (e.g. St. Jean Baptiste Day is June 24 in Quebec).
In terms of the civic holiday being recognized as a day off, it is not a statutory holiday. The term "civic" comes into play because while it's not a stat holiday, many municipalities call the day something to suit their region. Thus giving it the general name of "civic holiday."
Most retailers are open on the long weekend. However, many provincially-regulated offices are typically closed. This includes banks, standalone post offices, municipal and provincial offices, and service centres.
In Ontario, the civic holiday has been ceremonially known as "Simcoe Day," named after the first Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada, John Graves Simcoe.
Originally the day was introduced in the province's capital city back in 1869 as a "day of recreation," before being renamed in honour of Simcoe in 1969.
While he was the first Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada, Simcoe was also a supporter of abolishing slavery and contributed heavily to the Act Against Slavery, which became law in 1793. At the time, the newly instated law still allowed slaves to be sold within the province and across the border to the states.
While the law didn't free anyone from slavery, it did ban bringing slaves into Upper Canada, and stipulated that children born to female slaves would be freed once they reached 25 years old.
Simcoe's work on the Act Against Slavery was heavily influenced by the story of Chloe Cooley, a young Black woman who was forced across the Canada-U.S. border to be sold into slavery.
Slavery wasn't fully abolished across Canada until 1834.