The City of Burlington and Mayor’s Office mark numerous days of recognition, social justice matters and local, provincial, national and international events of importance through flag-lowerings, City-supported vigils, flag-raisings, proclamations/acknowledgements and Pier lightings.
This will be a standing page on the Mayor’s website listing those as they happen, beginning with the new 2022-2026 term.
PROCLAMATIONS:
A proclamation is an official announcement issued by the Mayor to recognize exceptional events, groups, people, or achievements in the City of Burlington. The goal of a proclamation is to recognize and celebrate achievements and to raise public awareness of important issues in Burlington.
For more information on proclamation criteria and how to request a proclamation, please click the link.
FLAG-RAISINGS:
Community groups and organizations can fill out an online form to submit a request for a flag-raising in Civic Square at Burlington City Hall to mark an event, an historical event or a specific month of recognition.
For more information on flag-raising criteria and how to request a flag-raising, please click the link.
PIER LIGHTINGS:
To request a pier lighting or for more information, please contact pier@burlington.ca. Please review the schedule for available dates and send your request ideally four months before your event date.
To view the current pier lightings scheduled for the calendar year, please click the link.
OTHER AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS:
Key to the City
Launched by Mayor Marianne Meed Ward in 2019, the Key to the City program at the City of Burlington honours individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions to our community.
To view previous Burlington Key to the City recipients, please click/tap the link.
Burlington Chamber of Commerce Mayor’s Awards
As part of its annual Business Excellence Awards, the Burlington Chamber of Commerce invites the Mayor to bestow an award of recognition, on behalf of the City of Burlington, to a local business/non-profit organization.
The Mayor’s awards have evolved many times over the years, often focusing on philanthropy, community engagement, and sustainability.
To view previous Chamber Mayor’s Award recipients, please click/tap the link.
• • • • •
Council Term (2022-2026) beginning on Nov. 15, 2022
Flag-lowerings:
March 2023
- Death of two Edmonton Police Service officers in the line of duty: Const. Brett Ryan & Const. Travis Jordan — March 16, 2023
- Death of a 10-year-old girl from a fire in the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation — March 13, 2023
February 2023
- Passing of Burlington Veteran Douglas Ross Rickard, among the last Canadian survivors of the Dieppe Raid of the Second World Ward — Feb. 24, 2023
January 2023
- Passing of former Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion — Jan. 29, 2023
- Passing of former Ontario Lieutenant-Governor David Onley — Jan. 16, 2023
- Passing of retired Burlington Fire Platoon Chief Clint Smith — Jan. 6, 2023
December 2022
- Death of OPP Provincial Constable Grzegorz Pierzchala killed in the line of duty — Dec. 29, 2022
- In honour of condo board members and their spouses in Vaughan who were murdered — Dec. 22, 2022
- In honour and memory of the 14 women murdered at Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal in 1989 — Dec. 6, 2022
• • •
City-Supported Vigils:
February 2023
- One-Year Anniversary of Invasion of Ukraine Prayer Vigil at Holy Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church — Feb. 24, 2023
December 2022
- National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women at City Hall — Dec 6, 2022
- Orange the World Vigil to end violence against women and girls at City Hall — Dec. 5, 2022
• • •
Flag-raisings:
April 2023
- Sikh Heritage Month — flag raised on March 31, 2023
- Food for Life’s Food for Good Week (April 21-29, 2023) — flag raised on April 21, 2023
- Dig Safe Month — flag raised on April 11, 2023
March 2023
- World Down Syndrome Day — flag raised on March 21, 2023
February 2023
- Special Olympics Week in Burlington (Feb. 27-March 6, 2023) — flag raised on Feb. 27, 2023
December 2022
- International Day of Persons with Disabilities (Dec. 3) via Deputy Mayor & Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman — flag raised on Dec. 2, 2022
November 2022
- Giving Tuesday — Nov. 29, 2022
• • •
Proclamations/Acknowledgements:
April 2023
- Be A Donor Month — April 2023
- Sikh Heritage Month — April 2023 (also had a flag-raising)
- Dig Safe Month — April 2023 (also had a flag-raising)
- Food for Life’s Food for Good Week — April 21-29, 2023 (also had a flag-raising)
- Ramadan — March 22-April 20, 2023
- Easter Sunday — April 9, 2023
- Good Friday — April 7, 2023
- Green Shirt Day — April 7, 2023
- Passover — April 5-13, 2023
March 2023
- Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD) Awareness Month — March 2023
- Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month — March 2023
- International Transgender Day of Visibility — March 31, 2023
- In Memoriam Day (for all Burlington residents who passed away in 2022) — March 30, 2023
- Purple Day (Global Day for Epilepsy Awareness) — March 26, 2023
- Earth Hour — March 25, 2023
- School Crossing Guard Appreciation Day — March 23, 2023
- Ramadan — March 22-April 20, 2023
- Chaitra Navratri — March 22, 2023
- International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination — March 21, 2023
- World Down Syndrome Day — March 21, 2023 (also had a flag-raising)
- Shri Mataji Devi Day – 100 Year Celebration of The Festival of New Beginnings — March 21, 2023
- Nowruz (Iranian/Persian New Year) — March 20, 2023
- Transit Operator & Worker Appreciation Day — March 18, 2023
- St. Patrick’s Day — March 17, 2023
- Holi — March 8, 2023
- International Women’s Day — March 8, 2023
- Employee Appreciation Day — March 3, 2023
- Orthodox, Coptic & Eastern Christian Ash Wednesday — March 1, 2023
- Special Olympics Week in Burlington — Feb. 27-March 6, 2023 (also had a flag-raising)
February 2023
- Black History Month — February 2023
- Rare Disease Awareness Day — Feb. 28, 2023
- Special Olympics Week in Burlington — Feb. 27-March 6, 2023 (also had a flag-raising)
- World Thinking Day — Feb. 22, 2023
- Ash Wednesday — Feb. 22, 2023
- Pink Shirt Day — Feb. 22, 2023
- Human Trafficking Awareness Day — Feb. 22, 2023
- Family Day — Feb. 20, 2023
- Random Acts of Kindness Day — Feb. 17, 2023
- Non-Profit Sector Appreciation Week — Feb. 13-19, 2023
- National Flag of Canada Day — Feb. 15, 2023
- Valentine’s Day — Feb. 14, 2023
- International Day of Women & Girls in Science — Feb. 11, 2023
- Groundhog Day — Feb. 2, 2023
- International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation: Feb. 6, 2023 — Feb. 6, 2023
January 2023
- CrimeStoppers Awareness Month — January 2023
- National Day of Remembrance & Action Against Islamophobia — Jan. 29, 2023
- International Holocaust Remembrance Day — Jan. 27, 2023
- Bell Let’s Talk Day — Jan. 25, 2023
- Lunar New Year (Year of the Rabbit) — Jan. 22, 2023
- Lincoln Alexander Day — Jan. 21, 2023
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day — Jan. 16, 2023 (third Monday in January)
- Black Shirt Day — Jan. 15, 2023
- Orthodox, Coptic and Eastern Christian Christmas — Jan 7, 2023
- National Ribbon Skirt Day — Jan. 4, 2023 (inaugural)
December 2022
- New Year’s Eve/Day — Dec. 31, 2022
- Kwanzaa — Dec. 26, 2022-Jan. 1, 2023
- Christmas — Dec. 25, 2022
- Hanukkah — Dec. 18-26, 2022
- The Salvation Army Week — Dec. 18-24, 2022
- International Day for the Abolition of Slavery — Dec. 12, 2022
- World Human Rights Day — Dec. 10, 2022
- International Volunteer Day — Dec. 5, 2022
- International Day of Persons with Disabilities — Dec. 3, 2022 (also had a flag-raising)
November 2022
- Women Abuse Prevention Month — November 2022
- Giving Tuesday — Nov. 29, 2022 (also had a flag-raising)
- Small Business Saturday — Nov. 26, 2022
- Economic Abuse Awareness Day — Nov. 26, 2022
- International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women — Nov. 25, 2022
- Transgender Day of Remembrance — Nov. 20, 2022
- 2022 World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims — Nov. 20, 2022
- National Children’s Grief Awareness Day — Nov. 17, 2022
- I Read Canadian Day — Nov. 2, 2022