Charles B. MacKay -

Toronto’s First Customs Officer

Plaque located at: 35 Spruce Street, Toronto, ON, Canada

Charles B. MacKay was an official sent by Queen Victoria in 1858 to set up and administer the customs offices in the burgeoning Port of Toronto. With the imminent threat of a Civil War in the United States, the relative political stability in Canada made Toronto a desirable destination for the shipping of a wide variety of goods.

Charles B. MacKay thus became Toronto’s first Custom’s Officer. He was accompanied to Canada by his wife Isabella, and they later bought land adjacent to his home at 35 Spruce Street.

It is not known whether he and his wife remained in Canada or returned to England.