To be more precise (and this distinction matters, I think), Simcoe didn’t abolish slavery (although he wanted to, the guy was a lifelong abolitionist). There were too many slave owners in the Legislative Assembly and Council who refused to accept abolition. #onpoli #cdnpoli https://twitter.com/canadian_crown/status/1289555267382779909

Simcoe’s Act freed the children of slaves, and outlawed the importing of slaves. The goal was to see it phase out within a generation. The slave-owning class didn’t like it, but were, ultimately, too much of a minority power to stop it.

The Act worked as intended. Within 30 years, there were no longer slaves in Upper Canada. And his success became the model and inspiration for abolition throughout the British Empire in 1833. This is a laudable achievement, and for this reason Toronto celebrates Simcoe Day today.

But let’s not mythologize Simcoe either.

The Act offered nothing to existing slaves in Ontario, many of whom spent the remainder of their lives as the property of families whose names now mark some of the cities oldest downtown streets, like the Jarvis’.

Additionally, Simcoe was close friends with Henry Dundas, the British War Secretary who obstructed efforts at Westminster to abolish the Imperial Slave Trade in 1792, delaying the process until 1807.

Simcoe named a street AND a town after him!

So yeah, it’s not a history without its blemishes. There’s no such thing. But by all means let’s celebrate today for what it achieved, while not forgetting what it didn’t. /end