June July August 2023 issue

THE EDITOR’S PAGE
by Linda Green
CELEBRATE SUMMER!
We have several special celebrations during the next few
months. First we have:
Father’s Day, June 18
The idea of a special day to honour fathers and celebrate
fatherhood was introduced from the United States. A
woman called Sonora Smart Dodd was inspired by the
American Mother’s Day celebrations and planned a day to
honour fathers early in the 20th century. The first Father’s
Day was celebrated in Spokane, Washington, on June 19,
1910. Father’s Day has become increasingly popular
throughout North America and other parts of the world over
the years.
Canada Day, July 1
The national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday
celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of
the British North America Act, 1867, which united three
colonies (the United Province of Canada, New Brunswick
and Nova Scotia) into a single country called Canada within
the British Empire. Originally called Dominion Day, the
holiday was renamed in 1982, the year the Canada Act was
passed. Canada Day observances take place throughout
Canada as well as among Canadians internationally.
In Guelph, celebrations are held at Riverside Park with
activities for the whole family, food, music, entertainment
and fireworks.
John Galt Day (Civic Holiday), August 7
In October 2006, Guelph City Council enacted a bylaw
creating John Galt Day, becoming the 7th municipality in
Ontario since 1969 (when the Civic Holiday was created) to
give a name to the civic holiday.
The impetus to name the civic holiday after our founding
father, John Galt, came from citizens Peter Anderson and
Gil Stelter, longtime advocates for recognizing Galt’s
contribution to the thriving City of Guelph. Anderson was
involved in the commissioning of the John Galt statue in
front of old City Hall, and Stelter is a renowned scholar in
Canadian urban history with an extensive knowledge of
Galt’s legacy.
John Galt was a prominent Scottish novelist who founded
Guelph in 1827. As the superintendent of The Canada
Company, a large land company in London, England, he
conceived the idea of building a town to stimulate and direct
the agricultural settlement of the area. Galt planned the
community with its distinctive radial design, quite different
from the gridiron plan of most cities, making Guelph a
unique and special place.
He planned a radial design, with terminating vistas that
led to the Church of Our Lady, St. George’s Square and
Market Square. He carefully planned and executed a land
settlement process that was not based solely on profit — he
insisted on the inclusion of public works to attract
settlement (roads, a school, a market). He dreamt of a centre
of agriculture, culture and economic prosperity.
Special Printing For Members
Do you have a need for printing (i.e., bookmarks, booklets, calendars,
dinner menus/programs, club bylaws, annual reports), large or small
quantities, black & white print (10¢ per page) or colour (30¢ per page)?
If so, please contact Carol Croft or Linda Green, either in the Sentinel
office (we’re not here all the time, though) or by email at sentinel@gwsaguelph.ca,
or leave a message at the front desk. You must be a GWSA
member to take advantage of this.
We will try to accommodate you with your project as much as we can.
5
DONATIONS
To donate easily, with a credit
card, visit our website
www.gwsa-guelph.ca and click
on the ‘Donate’ button or call:
519-823-1291
August 11, 2023 is the deadline for
submissions for the
September 2023 Sentinel.
Email submissions to: sentinel@gwsa-guelph.ca
or drop yours off at the Evergreen Front Desk.
Distribution of the September issue
is on August 31, 2023.
Editor is not responsible for quality of submitted photos
(but we’ll do our best).
The Sentinel - June/July/August 2023