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In Focus, August, 2012 4 Letter from In Focus The August long weekend always seems to sneak up on me. The summer flies by: one minute it's Canada Day, then BAM ­ it's time for another long weekend (not that I'm complaining, of course). To help myself prepare for the upcoming holiday, I did a little research and stumbled across some interesting facts about this sneaky mid-summer long weekend. So sit back, relax and enjoy these interesting Civic Holiday tidbits. · · Historically, the holiday celebrated the end of slavery. The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 came into effect August 1, 1834, officially ending slavery in the British Empire. Celebrated the first Monday in August, the Civic Holiday goes by different names in different provinces: British Columbia Day, Saskatchewan Day, New Brunswick Day. Nunavut, Manitoba, PEI and the Northwest Territories simply call it Civic Holiday, while in Ontario it's unofficially known as Simcoe Day, named after... ...John Graves Simcoe, the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada (now known as Ontario), who ended slavery in Upper Canada long before it was abolished in the rest of the British Empire. He also founded York (now Toronto) and helped establish law and order in the area. Instead of Simcoe Day, some towns in Ontario host celebrations named after local historical figures. Ottawa celebrates Colonel By Day, Burlington is home to Joseph Brant Day, Guelph has John Galt Day and Hamilton holds George Hamilton Day (no, not the orange guy). $O>GFHK> AUGUST 2012 VOLUME 6 ISSUE 8 IN FOCUS is published 12 times per year by the The Independent & Free Press, a division of Metroland Media Group Ltd. The Independent & Free Press 280 Guelph Street, Unit 29 Georgetown, Ontario, L7G 4B1 Telephone: 905-873-0301 Fax: 905-873-0398 www.theifp.ca Publisher Ken Nugent · · Special Features Co-ordinator Andrea Lefebvre 905-873-0301, ext. 236 ALefebvre@theifp.ca I don't know if these facts will help me remember the Civic Holiday (which, for the record, is August 6 this year), but at least I know why I have that Monday off. But before you start planning your Simcoe Day celebrations, take a moment to check out this edition of In Focus. Inside you'll find oodles of summer fun, from Canada Day parties to fundraisers and much more. And if you have a photo you'd like to see in our next issue, just send it in. We love hearing from you! Happy August! Nine-year-old Emily Mowat has a cute new `do for summer after cutting off 10 inches of her hair to donate to Continental Hair's Hair for Kids program. Bravo! Photo by Andrea Lefebvre Advertising Sales Representatives Cindi Campbell Felicia Fasulo Jennifer Spencer Amy Sykes Natasha Vuksic 2010 Andrea Lefebvre alefebvre@theifp.ca Design/Production Dolores Black, Mary Lou Foreman, Shelli Harrison, Kevin Powell The contents are protected by copyright and may be used only for personal non-commercial purposes. All other rights are reserved and commercial use is prohibited. To make any use of this material you must first obtain the permission of the owner of the copyright. For further information contact the Independent & Free Press at 905-873-0301. Learning doesn't stop just because school is out Call Now About Our Summer Programs. Georgetown 324 Guelph Street, Unit 7, Georgetown, ON, L7G 4B5 Two years ago, (ABOVE) Sarah Laurie and her grade 6 teacher Liz Cook each cut off 10 inches of hair to donate to Locks of Love. This year, (BELOW) the duo decided to do it again. Sarah lopped off 11 inches of hair and Liz chopped off 10, which will be donated to Locks of Love. The two plan to grow out their hair and repeat the donation process in another two years. Well done, ladies! Photos submitted by Jacqueline Laurie 2012 The advertiser agrees that the publisher shall not be liable for damages arising out of errors in advertising beyond the amount paid for the space actually occupied by that portion of the advertisement in which the error occurred , whether such error is due to the negligence of its servants or otherwise, and beyond the amount paid for such advertisement. GENERAL NOTICE: Copyright in letters and other material submitted to the Publisher and accepted for publication remains with the author, but the Publisher and its licenses may freely reproduce them in print, electronic or other for ms of publications. 905.877.3163 oxfordlearning.com IN FOCUS IS A PRODUCT OF