Happy Lord Simcoe Day!

[michael]

now that I know why we (in the great white north) have a holiday today (even if they only call it that here), it has become my Official Favorite Holiday

a bit about Lord Simcoe:

On Simcoe Day it's your civic duty to have fun

Story by Chris Carter (note: not the X-Files guy)

Most of us are thrilled that halfway between Canada Day and Labour Day we get a statutory holiday -- 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 official move to York came in June 1793, when Simcoe and his entourage arrived on three ships from Newark. Soldiers had to cut down trees to clear enough space for tents.

One of these first York residents was Simcoe's wife Elizabeth. Her diary for those early days reveals not only her unflagging English gentility, but also a vision of things to come: "The [eastern] shore is extremely bold, and has the appearance of chalk cliffs, but I believe they are only white sand. They appeared so well that we talked of building a summer residence there and calling it Scarborough."

The Simcoes would not build their Scarborough home, but others eventually would, as Simcoe developed York, granting generous tracts to American immigrants, whom he saw as the potential engine of future growth in the province.

He also set out to create British-style institutions, such as a court of King's bench, proposals for a prepatory and university school system, and municipal councils. His Queen's Rangers began the task of clearing Yonge Street, forging it 60 kilometres north of York by 1796. He maintained good relations with the region's Indian inhabitants. And perhaps most notably, Simcoe banned the importation of slaves and freed existing slaves, making Upper Canada the first abolitionist British territory.

But Simcoe balked at accepting the military authority of the Governor General in Quebec City, and some of his aristocratic ideals did not mesh with life in the rough new colony. In 1796, with his health failing, he left for England. He died 10 years later, awaiting transfer to India, where he was to command the British forces.

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.

Some say that as Toronto heroes go, Simcoe's a tarnished one. Lecturer Donald C. MacDonald argued this in a Toronto Star opinion piece two years ago, noting that Simcoe preferred other sites for the provincial capital and chose the English name York over the traditional name Toronto, which was restored in the 1830s.

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.

[Marc]

....very strange...

[Wolfwood]

Can someone state side smuggle me out of Canada?

please....?

jim.

[michael]

<sigh>

it's so sad to see another of our American Friends™ wanting to leave Canada....I guess the beer IS too strong for them....

[Wolfwood]

Bah its not the beer....its your strict gun laws and lack of high oink-tane beverages. (Caffeine).

What fun is hunting and fishing if you can't use a assault rifle while super hyper?

jim.