18th-Century Statesman’s Descendant on a Mission to Clear the Name Amid Slavery Accusations

The opposition to renaming Toronto’s Dundas Street has gained momentum, with three former mayors and a distant relative of Henry Dundas expressing their opposition. Jennifer Dundas, a retired crown prosecutor and former CBC reporter, has conducted extensive research on Henry Dundas and disputes the claims made in the city’s report. She argues that Dundas was actually against slavery, but had different ideas on how to end it compared to prominent abolitionists at the time. Ms. Dundas also highlights the financial challenges the city faces in terms of the cost of renaming the street and supporting businesses in rebranding. Former mayors David Crombie, John Sewell, and Art Eggleton have written a letter to the current mayor urging her to abandon the renaming proposal, asserting that Dundas was a committed abolitionist. Jennifer Dundas cites historical evidence that shows Dundas played a significant role in ending slavery in Scotland and consistently spoke out against slavery and the slave trade. While he had disagreements with other abolitionists, he worked with them towards an international convention for abolition. Ms. Dundas contests the accuracy of the city staff report, pointing out discrepancies and highlighting the consultation with scholars and peer-reviewed research that informed her research. An advisory committee is set to release a shortlist of new names for Dundas Street in the coming months for public feedback.



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