In Markham, the Civic Holiday is known as William Berczy Day. This name honors William Berczy, one of Markham’s founding pioneers and a designated national historic person1. The day celebrates his contributions to the establishment and development of the community.
Do you have any plans for William Berczy Day?
The Civic Holiday in Ontario has evolved over time. Initially, it was introduced in various cities in the mid-1800s as a public holiday in August. For example, London started observing it in 1856, Toronto in 1861, and Hamilton in 18621. The holiday was originally known as “The Public Holiday” before being renamed "Civic Day"2.
In 1969, Toronto officially named the holiday Simcoe Day to honor John Graves Simcoe3. Other municipalities in Ontario followed suit, assigning their own honorific names to the day to celebrate influential historical figures within their communities2.
So, while the concept of a Civic Holiday has been around for a long time, the specific names and the way it is celebrated have changed and diversified over the years.
Is there anything else you’d like to know about the Civic Holiday?
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