Civic Holiday is the most widely used name for a public holiday celebrated in most of Canada on the first Monday in August, though it is officially known by that term only by the governments of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories where it is a territorial statutory holiday. The name "Civic" is in reference to municipalities as this day is not legislatively mandated a public holiday across the country by the Canadian federal government and is often given a different, more specific name by some municipalities. The holiday is known by a variety of names in other provinces and municipalities, including British Columbia Day in British Columbia, New Brunswick Day in New Brunswick, and Saskatchewan Day in Saskatchewan, where the day is a provincial statutory holiday across each province. The holiday is celebrated as Natal Day in Nova Scotia, in commemoration of the founding of the Halifax–Dartmouth area, and Terry Fox Day in Manitoba, in honour of the nationally renowned Manitoba-born athlete. Despite its special designations in Nova Scotia and Manitoba, the day is not a statutory holiday in those provinces, nor in Prince Edward Island.
An official holiday on the first Monday in August was first proposed in Saskatchewan on March 17, 1975, by Gordon Snyder, Saskatchewan's Minister of Labour. The holiday was already celebrated by businesses across Saskatchewan but Snyder wanted it to be a recognized statutory holiday known as "Saskatchewan Day". His proposal was approved in June of that year and the first Saskatchewan Day was celebrated that August.
British Columbia
In 1974, Surrey MLA Ernie Hall, part of the BC NDP government of Dave Barrett, introduced legislation in the provincial legislature to establish the day as a provincial statutory holiday.
as well as numerous other names in smaller municipalities. When not given a local name, it is often referred to as "Civic Holiday". Although a work holiday is given to employees of the federal, provincial and many municipal governments, the Government of Ontario has not defined this day as a statutory holiday that all employers must treat as a holiday and it is not mentioned in Ontario's Employment Standards Act nor the Retail Business Holidays Act. Schools are generally already closed, regardless of the holiday's status, because of summer vacation. The Caribbean Cultural Festival, formerly known as Caribana, is held this holiday weekend in Toronto, coinciding with Emancipation Day.
The first Monday in August is not generally observed as a holiday in Quebec, parts of Newfoundland and Labrador, or Yukon, but replacement summer holidays may be observed as follows:
In Yukon, Discovery Day is observed on the third Monday of August instead, and commemorates the 1896 discovery of gold in the territory and the start of the Klondike Gold Rush.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, the Shops Closing Act provides for a civic holiday on the date of the Royal St. John's Regatta in St. John's, the date of the Harbour Grace Regatta in Harbour Grace, and a date fixed by the applicable municipal council in all other municipalities. Several of these communities use the first Monday in August as a civic holiday, while others have not selected any date.
Prince Edward Island
The holiday is not an official holiday, although some businesses may close for the day. Additionally, federal workers receive the day off and federal services are closed, but municipal and provincial services and workers have varying decisions made on their status, some choosing to have Gold Cup Parade day off instead. This leads to a drastic mix of openings and closings across the province. The capital city ofCharlottetown has its own Natal Day, in early June, which should not be confused with Nova Scotia's Natal Day.
