An interesting article to share with you regarding the coming long weekend.

A Holiday with History
On Simcoe Day it's your civic duty to have fun
by Chris Carter


Most of us are thrilled that halfway between Canada Day and Labour Day we get another long weekend -- a day off with the rather Soviet-sounding label "Civic Holiday."

But those Ontarians who love to hate Toronto may not want to hear that they have T.O. to thank for the August long weekend. And if you live here in the centre of the universe, you may not realize that we alone call it something else: Simcoe Day, in honour of the first Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada.

John Graves Simcoe was more than just a colonial governor -- he abolished slavery, created Yonge Street, and even inspired the agricultural fair tradition that would give rise to the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.

In 1869 Toronto City Council came up with the idea for a summer "day of recreation." In 1875, it was settled: the first Monday in August would be the official Civic Holiday.

That name stuck as other cities followed Toronto's leisure-loving example and proclaimed this a municipal (rather than provincial) holiday. But in 1968 Toronto City Council again took the lead and renamed the day to recognize one of Ontario's earliest historical figures.

Simcoe was a British soldier who distinguished himself during the American Revolutionary War, earning an appointment in 1777 to lead the elite Queen's Rangers regiment. In 1781 he returned to England, where he was later elected to the House of Commons. When the province of Upper Canada was created in 1791, Simcoe was named its first Lieutenant-Governor. He arrived in 1792 and established the provincial capital in Newark (Niagara-on-the-Lake). But before long, the threat of invading Americans had him looking for a more secure capital, which he found in the harbour near the abandoned French fort of Toronto. Simcoe himself sailed into Toronto harbour in May 1793, and immediately wrote of his intention to establish an arsenal and name the place York. (York became the official name several weeks later to mark the Duke of York's victory over the French at Flanders.) The traditional name Toronto was restored in the 1830s.

Simcoe's historical influence extends beyond Toronto; Simcoe County was established in 1798, recognizing his exploration of the region. The town of Simcoe, which grew around a mill granted by Simcoe, was named in his honour in 1829.

So why then is Toronto the only city to declare Simcoe Day? Some MPPs have asked the same question, and have tabled private member's bills to have Simcoe Day declared province-wide, to no avail.

No, for now, John Graves Simcoe is ours, aristocratic leanings and all -- at least for the long weekend.