Lord Simcoe Day Greetings to Emperah and.....

[Tropicana]

Speaking of Holiday....before mi feget.

Happy Lord Simcoe Day to Emperah and all Ontario Boardites.


lordsimcoe.jpg

Lieutenant-General John Graves Simcoe (February 25, 1752 – October 26, 1806) was the first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada from 1791-1796. He founded York (now Toronto) and was instrumental in introducing institutions such as the courts, trial by jury, English common law, freehold land tenure, and for abolishing slavery in Upper Canadain 1810 long before it was abolished in the British Empire as a whole.

How do you plan to celebrate (tomorrow)?

[Tropicana]

Monday August 5th, 2013
Simcoe Day Civic Day holiday events north of Toronto and more Ontario August Getaways
See a variety of Civic Holiday day trip ideas, events and festivals available north of Toronto over the holiday weekend.
Simcoe Day is generally the accepted name of the Civic Holiday in Ontario Canada. In Canada Civic Holiday is the first Monday of August and was originally a "Toronto only" holiday to celebrate Simcoe Day, in honour of the first Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada. John Graves Simcoe was an early Canadian hero with Lake Simcoe, Simcoe County bearing his name.

Not sure how to celebrate?

Will there be parties, picnics, garden parties, teas, fireworks?

Join the celebrations:

http://www.400eleven.com/CivicHoliday.html

Simcoe Day: What’s open this holiday Monday

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2012/08/05/simcoe_day_whats_open_this_holiday_monday.html

[Tropicana]

Emancipation Day is Lord Simcoe's legacy



To the majority of Ontarians, this holiday weekend is dedicated to Lord Simcoe, the first lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada and the founder of York. His legacy includes the introduction of some well-established institutions such as the courts, English common law as well as for abolishing slavery in Upper Canada before it was abolished in the British Empire.
But for African Canadians this weekend is rooted in celebration of freedom from slavery.
The idea of formally combining the Lord Simcoe Day with Emancipation Day should be given some consideration. Lord Simcoe was a staunch abolitionist who introduced anti-slavery laws in Upper Canada in 1791, long before the British Parliament introduced anti-slavery laws in their colonies.
Simcoe's strong leadership gave Upper Canada the distinction of being the first jurisdiction in the British colony to pass an anti-slavery act. In fact, it would be 40 years later before enslaved Africans in all British colonies moved from chattel to citizens.
The British Parliament on Aug. 24, 1833, announced the abolishment of slavery -- but not right away. It would be another year before the act took effect.
To ensure that slave owners were not left with a labour shortage on their plantations, a sharecropping system emerged similar to that in the southern American states.
The slavery proclamation required that slaves older than six years of age were "'entitled to be registered as apprenticed labourers and to acquire thereby all rights and privileges of freedom.' In return for food, clothing and lodging, but without wages, they were to work for their former owners three-fourths of the day ..."
Although not as widely celebrated as it once was, this week's Emancipation Day celebration is moving ahead. The celebration is marked by festivals across the former British colonies in which slavery existed.
Throughout the African diaspora, communities have never forgotten the significance of this day. It's a time to party and a time to reflect on the past, with a view to charting a more glorious future.
In our general region, the largest celebration dedicated to Emancipation Day is being held in Owen Sound, where organizers proudly declare their event as the longest-running Emancipation Day celebration in Ontario.
With funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, they have planned a spectacular lineup of activities from now through August 5.
The event invites Canadians from all backgrounds to share "a special ceremony for all of us as we celebrate family, fellowship, oral history, documented history, community, culture and roots of our amazing integrated community."
Dennis Scott and a team of volunteers have been working for more than a year to organize this weekend's celebration.
"There is such a rich and vibrant history of blacks in Ontario and in Owen Sound," he told me. "We just want to spread the word and share our history and accomplishments."
For history buffs, he has planned a speakers' panel which includes writer Lawrence Hill and historian Afua Cooper. A parade is planned for Saturday, and a gospel explosion will shake the roof off the historical church on Sunday. For more information on the Owen Sound festivities, go to www.emancipation.ca.
North America's largest festival also falls on the anniversary of the emancipation of slavery in Trinidad. Although not a central marketing theme, this festival brings many visitors to Toronto each year as part of a celebration that has roots from oppression and bondage.
So perhaps it's time to consider linking the two holidays. Emancipation Day and Lord Simcoe Day would collectively shed more light on the history of Canada, its role in slavery and the anti-slavery movement.
This Saturday at 10:30 a.m., the Hamilton Historical Board will be unveiling a marker on the grave of Nelson Stevens, an escaped slave who enlisted in the 25th U.S. Coloured Troops in 1865 and was in active service in Florida. After the end of the U.S. Civil War, he returned to Hamilton to work and live.
When he died in 1890, Stevens was buried in a pauper's grave. Now, after years of research, his unmarked grave has been rediscovered.

http://www.thespec.com/opinion-story...mcoe-s-legacy/

[Tropicana]

I didn't realize that today is also a civic holiday in other provinces (but not Lord Simcoe day). So Happy Civic Holiday for all boardites based in Canada.

[Tropicana]

The Civic Holiday is celebrated on the first Monday of August. It is known by many names in different provinces.

- It's called Regatta Day in Newfoundland,
- Saskatchewan day in Saskatchewan,
- Columbia Day in British Columbia,
- Natal Day in Nova Scotia and PEI,
- Lord Simcoe Day in Toronto,
- Colonel By Day in Ottawa
- Alberta (Heritage Day),
- Manitoba (Civic Holiday),

Whatever you all it? Have a happy one.

[Tropicana]

Quebec and Nunavut do not have an August long weekend holiday.

[My Looh]

It is always a bittersweet holiday for me personally.

While it's nice to have the day off it also marks the beginning of the end of the summer season.

[My Looh]

Thanks for posting that info about Lord Simcoe Tropi. I always heard the name but had no clue about who or what he was.

[Emperah]

and mi still nuh care feem all now

[Tropicana]

Come come now...you only heard about him 2 days ago and you said you did not have enough information to bun fiyah. Don't just be negative for the sake of being negative.

Admit it he did try to do the right thing. He was trying to get slavery abolished from 1793. This was a very progressive move for his day.

In Upper Canada, the Act Against Slavery passed in 1793, leading to the abolition of slavery in Upper Canada by 1810. It was superseded by the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 that abolished slavery across the British Empire.

[Tropicana]

Did you know this Emperah? I guess not since you just heard of him 3 days ago...


In 1801 he (Lord Simcoe) traveled from Quebec City to what is now London, Ontario, on wooden roller-skates, which was quite a feat at the time.