Taylor v. Orpen plaque, 2023.  

Plaque Text

Armistead Pride Taylor (1845-1929) and Lydia Hegetschweiler (1853-1948)were free Black people from Lynchburg, Virginia. They married, and in the 1870s moved to Toronto, where Armistead opened a barbershop in Yorkville.

In November 1906, their 14-year-old son Arthur bought a ticket to skate at the Granite Roller Rink near here on Church Street. Once Arthur was inside, the rink manager told him to leave because he was Black. Lydia returned with Arthur, bought a ticket, and was also asked to leave. In response, the Taylors sued the rink manager, Abram Orpen, for $50 ($1,400 in 2023). During the early 20th century, Canadian law allowed businesses to refuse service to anyone based on skin colour. Advertisements and signs used terms like "select patronage" or "select clientele" to exclude people from entering.

In court, Judge Frederick Morson ruled Orpen could refuse entry to Black people, but had to do so before selling tickets. The judge ordered Orpen to update his signs and pay the Taylors just 50 cents ($14 in 2023) — the value of their two tickets to the rink. Their claim for $50 in damages was denied.

Although the law was often challenged by cases like the Taylors', many aspects of racial segregation remained legal in Canada before gradually being phased out in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s.