Gus Harris

Augustus Vincent Patrick Harris (July 1908 – February 20, 2000) was a

Harris later recalled: "I was born to a great degree of poverty... in an area where there was tremendous religious bigotry and a deep feeling of racial superiority of the British against other nations."[1]

Harris's stepfather was a

Seeing posters promoting immigration to Canada by depicting "golden fields of corn", Harris and several friends decided to go to Canada in 1929 to make their fortunes and then return to England after six months. However, when he arrived he was pennliless, having had his baggage stolen. He remained in Canada and made a life, eventually marrying. When World War II broke out in 1939, and influenced by the United Church of Canada, he declared himself a conscientious objector and was sent to Banff, Alberta to cut down trees. During this period, his first child was born but died after ten days; Harris was not permitted to go home for the funeral.^[1]

Political career

After the war, he got involved with the

Harris never accepted financial donations to his political campaigns from any source so that he would not be captive to any interests. As mayor, he refused to use the chauffeur-driven limousine that was offered to Metropolitan Toronto's city and borough mayors and continued to live in a modest, semi-detached house that he and his wife had bought in 1942.^[1] Shortly before the nomination deadlines for the 1988 municipal elections in Ontario, Harris announced he would not seek re-election as mayor, and was officially succeeded by Joyce Trimmer as mayor, in early December 1988.

Retirement

Although retired from active politics, Harris occasionally spoke on various municipal issues in the late 1980s and early 1990s, such as transit concerns and the proposal for the potential amalgamation of

On 11 December 1973 during a debate on the fate of the community on the Toronto Islands, Harris, a Controller at the time, was firmly against the idea of retaining the houses. He said at one point, "These people have launched as vicious a propaganda campaign as I've ever seen. You can see the fine hand of Island public relations in this City proposal. I've had it with their heart-rending stories."^[6] Joyce Trimmer, Harris' successor as mayor originally lived on the Toronto Islands.^[7]

In July 1988, just prior to his retirement as mayor, he spoke about how Scarborough was maturing as a city. He said, "They won't be calling this place Scarberia much longer."^[8]

References