Embarrassingly, I didn't realize that yesterday was Doctor's Day in Ontario until I received a notice from the Ontario College of Family Physicians well into the afternoon. However, through this notice, I learned that May 1st was chosen as it was the birthday of Dr. Emily Stowe who became Canada's first female physician in 1870.
It still seems to be a fairly low key affair - it was difficult to find a nice description of Doctor's Day. Here's a little news release from the OMA (It seems the first annual Doctor's Day was just last year which I find a little odd since we've been in Ontario a bit longer than a year...). Sometimes I think we, as a profession, could do a better job educating the public about the various roles that physicians play in supporting the health of individuals and communities - especially those roles beyond direct patient care.
I think we will just have to make a point of really celebrating Doctor's Day next year!