What you really need to know about the Civic Holiday

Okay, you already know the basics about tomorrow's Civic Holiday, a.k.a. Simcoe Day.

The Civic Centre and libraries and banks are closed.

The big malls are open.

The buses are running, but just once an hour.

The Rhodes Centre pool and ice pads are open.

The Greco Pool & Manzo Pool are open.

In the private sector, you get the day off if you have a nice boss.

If your boss is a jerkasaurus, you have to work.

Here at SooToday.com, we never bore you with stuff like that - stuff that you already know.

The following is everything our readers are really needing to know about Simcoe Day:

************************ 300 locations of The Beer Store to remain open on civic holiday MISSISSAUGA, ON, Aug. 1 - On Monday, August 7, 300 locations of The Beer Store will be open for business from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the Civic Holiday.

The Beer Store Distribution Centres will be closed and the London Call Centre will remain open for licensee ordering.

Licensees are encouraged to contact the Call Centre directly to arrange for an alternative delivery date. All locations of The Beer Store will be open for regular hours of sale on Saturday, August 5, and Sunday, August 6.

Customers can log on to www.thebeerstore.ca or check with their local store to confirm hours of sale. The following locations of The Beer Store will be closed for Civic Holiday.

250 BRUCE STREET Sault Ste. Marie 486 GREAT NORTHERN ROAD Sault Ste. Marie 115 CAUSLEY STREET Blind River 124 STATION ROAD Espanola 156 MISSION ROAD Wawa 59 LISGAR STREET Chapleau 1106 FRONT STREET Hearst ONTARIO STREET Marathon 199 AURORE STREET Chelmsford 20 JAMES BAY ROAD Cochrane 101 FIRST ST. W. Geraldton 5085 HWY. No.69 NORTH Hanmer 227 CAMBRIDGE AVENUE Iroquois Falls 25 GOVERNMENT ROAD Kapuskasing 25 STATION ROAD Kirkland Lake 3RD AVENUE & MAIN ST. Levack 8TH AVE & MAIN ST. Lively 50 JAFFRAY STREET New Liskeard 390 LAKESHORE DRIVE North Bay 1065 MAIN STREET WEST North Bay HIGHWAY No. 101 South Porcupine 42 LORNE STREET Sudbury 1485 LASALLE BLVD Sudbury 891 NOTRE DAME AVENUE Sudbury 1889 PARIS STREET Sudbury 806 RED RIVER ROAD Thunder Bay

Other communities with Beer Store closings The Beer Store reminds everyone to drink responsibly this holiday weekend.

For more information on responsible hosting and the arrive alive DRIVE SOBER(R) program, please visit www.arrivealive.org.

Arrive alive DRIVE SOBER(R) is a program of the Ontario Community Council on Impaired Driving and The Beer Store is proud to be their diamond sponsor donating over $60,000 a year to their organization through our in-store collection containers.

The Beer Store is the primary distribution and sales channel for beer in Ontario, operating 441 retail stores, and serving 17,500 licensed customers, 600 government-owned LCBO retail locations, 113 Retail Partners, and 82 Northern Agents.

Customers can choose from more than 300 beer brands from over 70 brewers around the world.

The Beer Store is proud of its 78-year history of social responsibility and environmental leadership including its bottle-deposit-return system and commitment to recover 100 percent of beer packaging.

Visit www.thebeerstore.ca

************************ LCBO closing on Civic Holiday, August 7

As a convenience to Ontario consumers and visitors, approximately 350 LCBO stores across the province will be open on the civic holiday, Monday, August 7, 2006.

Many LCBO agency stores, beer stores and Ontario winery stores will also be open.

The civic holiday is not a statutory holiday under Ontario's Retail Business Holidays Act.

Liquor, beer and wine stores can open, provided local municipalities do not object.

Traditionally, LCBO and beer stores in cottage and resort areas have opened on the civic holiday, in communities that either do not observe the holiday or observe it later in the year.

The City of Greater Sudbury has notified the LCBO that it does not wish to open liquor and beer stores on the civic holiday. This request will be honoured.

All LCBO stores will observe their normal business hours on Saturday, August 5 and Sunday, August 6.

LCBO stores that will open on August 7 are posting signs to notify customers.

In some communities, only selected LCBO stores will be open.

Store staff can provide tips and recipes to help hosts entertain responsibly during Simcoe Day and other long weekend celebrations so that guests get home safely.

Information about responsible party planning is also available on the LCBO website at www.lcbo.com

The LCBO Infoline will be open on the civic holiday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and LCBO Customer Service will be open from 8.30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

All other LCBO offices will be closed.

Customers should check with their local LCBO store or contact the toll- free, bilingual LCBO Infoline at 1-800-ONT-LCBO (668-5226) (or [email protected]) for individual store hours. In Toronto, call 416 365-5900. The TTY number for the deaf and hearing impaired is 416 864-6898 or 1-800-361-3291.

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