In 1816, he was hired by William Dickson to manage his lands in Dumfries Township in Upper Canada.
The settlement that developed on the Grand River, originally known as Shade's Mills and later became Galt (now part of Cambridge, Ontario).
In 1819, he built a small bridge over the Grand River to serve customers on the other side; it lasted until 1932.
[1] Shade also secured a number of contracts to supply food and build roads for the Canada Company.
In 1831, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada representing Halton; he served until 1841.