Len Simms

Article summary

Leonard Archibald Simms (October 23, 1943 – January 26, 2026) was a Canadian politician from Newfoundland and Labrador. He was the Progressive Conservative Member of the House of Assembly for Grand Falls from 1979 to 1995. From 2005 until 2014, Simms was chairman and chief executive officer of the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation, a provincial crown corporation. Simms served as Speaker of the House of Assembly from 1979 to 1982 when he was appointed to the provincial cabinet of Premier Brian Peckford. Simms served in the portfolios of Culture, Recreation and Youth, Forest Resources and Lands, President of Treasury Board and President of Executive Council. He ran for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party in 1989 but lost to Tom Rideout who subsequently appointed him Development Minister in his Cabinet. The Tory government was defeated in the 1989 general election and Simms moved to the Opposition benches. He succeeded Rideout in 1991 to become Leader of the Opposition and party leader. The party lost the 1993 general election and Simms resigned as party leader two years later. Simms was appointed head of the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation by Premier Danny Williams in 2005.…

Key claims

1. date of death: 2026 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of death is "2026". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
4. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1359221335