Five things you might not know about the August civic holiday

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Did you know the August long weekend is not a statutory holiday?

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Dan Brown Fanshawe Pioneer Village historical interpreter Betty Rolfe uses a 160-year-old spinning wheel to transform wool into yarn outside of the 1865 Elgie Log House. The village is teaming up with other museums in London to run virtual programing on the civic holiday. (Derek Ruttan/The London Free Press) Article content

Did you know the August long weekend is not a statutory holiday, either federally or provincially? Reporter Dan Brown has the details on this municipal holiday in search of an identity.

Article content A holiday without legal force

The civic holiday takes place on the first Monday in August. It is not a federally or provincially mandated day off, but has its origins in this province’s municipalities. “Ontario never legislated it, nor is it federally legislated,” explained Amber Lloydlangston, curator of regional history at Museum London. That’s right: Businesses, workers, agencies and government just all agree to have a common pause day in August, without the force of law behind it.

London ahead of the curve

The Forest City was one of the first communities in Ontario to have a civic holiday, beginning in 1856 with a day set aside for workers. But it didn’t happen the same day in every community, nor did it have any consistency from year to year. “The mayor would declare it. It was never on the same day,” Lloydlangston noted.

Article content Many names in many places

“It’s got a ton of different names,” Lloydlangston said, including Simcoe Day in Toronto, Founders Day in Brantford, Brant Day in Burlington, Colonel By Day in Ottawa, Alexander Mackenzie Day in Sarnia, John Galt Day in Guelph and George Hamilton Day in Hamilton. Where it doesn’t have a specific name, as in London, it has the blandest of monikers. “’Civic holiday’ is the default (designation),” Lloydlangston said. In some provinces, it is a provincial holiday, as in Manitoba, where it’s called Terry Fox Day. In other provinces, such as Quebec, it isn’t observed at all.

The anonymous holiday

Unlike such statutory holidays as Victoria Day, Canada Day and Labour Day, the civic holiday doesn’t have much of an identity. Victoria Day marks the unofficial start of summer and is a time when many Canadians open their cottages for the season. Canada Day conjures up images of flags and fireworks. Labour Day has strong associations with the labour movement and workers’ rights. The civic holiday, on the other hand, has about as much emotional force as the sterile bank holidays of the United Kingdom. “Its identity is it’s a day off,” Lloydlangston said. And yes, some Honda dealerships have used the civic holiday as a sale day for their Civic model of car.

Article content What to do

You might consider checking out one of London’s museums on the weekend, but keep in mind their doors are closed Monday, although they have virtual programming. At Museum London, you can check out an exhibit of Edward Burtynsky photos called No Small Terror. He’s the Canadian photographer who takes achingly beautiful shots of landscapes scarred by industrial activity. Fanshawe Pioneer Village will offer enhanced programming this weekend, with Saturday devoted to hearth cooking and Sunday to the meaning and importance of emancipation, since Aug. 1 the day in 1834 when slavery was abolished across the British Empire. On Monday, local museums will come together to host a day of online activities under the banner of Celebrating Communities. You can find a full schedule for the virtual event at londonheritage.ca.

danbrown@postmedia.com

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