a statue of Wood in the neighbourhood, honouring him as a forefather of Toronto's modern gay community. The statue by sculptor Del Newbigging was unveiled on 28 May 2005. The $200,000 cost was shared by the business association and the City of Toronto. The statue incorporated a rose on the lapel of Wood's coat, in a secondary nod to Pierre Elliott Trudeau, the prime minister at the time a law was passed where a limited exception was added to the Criminal Code for the offenses of buggery or gross indecency – provided the acts took place in private and those involved were over 21. Homosexual acts remained defined in law as a crime. On 8 June 2021, the Church-Wellesley Village BIA called for the removal of the statue because of the involvement of Alexander Wood in the Society for Converting and Civilizing the Indians and Propagating the Gospel Among Destitute Settlers in Upper Canada, which contributed to the organization of the Indian residential school system in Canada. The statue was taken down on 4 April 2022 by the business improvement association. Notes 1772 births 1844 deaths LGBT history in Canada Businesspeople from Toronto Pre-Confederation Ontario people Scottish emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario Canadian merchants People from Stonehaven Immigrants to Upper Canada