1947 Toronto municipal election explained

Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on January 1, 1947. With little serious opposition Robert Hood Saunders was re-elected as mayor.

The election was a major defeat for the communist Labor-Progressive Party faction on city council, with Controller Stewart Smith and Alderman Dewar Ferguson being defeated. This left the party with only two seats on city council, Norman Freed and Charles Sims. This was somewhat mitigated by two communists winning seats on the Toronto Board of Education.

The vote also featured three referendums. Two were approved that would have a lasting effect on the city of Toronto. One called for the creation of the Regent Park housing project in the east end of the city. The second approved the city buying up the land northwest of the intersection of Bay and Queen streets for a city square and municipal buildings. This would later be the site of Nathan Phillips Square and Toronto City Hall. Rejected for a third time was a proposal to move to three year municipal terms.

Toronto mayor

Mayor Robert Hood Saunders faced only fringe candidates: Frank O'Hearn, who would go on to found the New Capitalist Party, and Trotskyist Murray Dowson.

Results

Robert Hood Saunders - 92,762

Frank O'Hearn - 9,477

Murray Dowson - 3,180

Board of Control

The only major change on the Board of Control was the defeat of Stewart Smith, the leader of the Communist faction at city hall. He was ousted by North Toronto alderman John Innes.

Results

Hiram E. McCallum (incumbent) - 58,524

John Innes - 53,137

David Balfour (incumbent) - 51,578

Kenneth Bert McKellar (incumbent) - 49,680

Stewart Smith (incumbent)- 42,106

M.A. Sanderson - 26,136

Harry Bradley - 10,749

Harry Clairmont - 4,858

City council

Ward 1 (Riverdale)

Charles Walton (incumbent) - 4,788

Leslie Saunders - 4,596

William Murdoch (incumbent) - 3,969

W. Simpson - 2,067

Harry Marley - 1,606

Ward 2 (Cabbagetown and Rosedale)

Louis Shannon (incumbent) - 4,102

Everett Weaver - 3,215

May Birchard (incumbent) - 3,079

George A. Wilson - 3,015

William Dennison - 2,248

Ward 3 (West Downtown and Summerhill)

Harold Fishleigh (incumbent) - 3,397

Allan Lamport (incumbent) - 2,884

John McVicar - 1,245

Harry Gilbert - 682

Karl Prager - 271

Ward 4 (The Annex, Kensington Market and Garment District)

Norman Freed (incumbent) - 4,910

Nathan Phillips (incumbent) - 4,690

Francis Chambers - 3,703

C.G. Hamilton - 1,121

Ward 5 (Trinity-Bellwoods

Charles Sims (incumbent) - 7,283

Arthur Frost (incumbent) - 6,848

Margaret Luckock - 4,936

Patrick McKeown - 1,335

Ward 6 (Davenport and Parkdale)

George Granell - 8,526

William Clifton - 6,803

Dewar Ferguson (incumbent) - 5,775

D.J. Bennett - 5,091

Eamon Park - 1,825

Ward 7 (West Toronto Junction)

William Butt (incumbent) - 5,773

E.C. Roelofson (incumbent) - 3,557

J.A. Service - 2,240

Ward 8 (The Beaches)

W.H. Collings (incumbent) - 8,120

Roy Mealing - 5,678

William Howell (incumbent) - 5,319

Murray Cotterill - 4,756

James Davis - 1,522

Ward 9 (North Toronto)

Melville Wilson (incumbent) - 8,307

Leonard Reilly - 6,173

W.H. Harris - 5,999

Alex Thompson - 4,109

H.V. Locke - 3,542

R.M. McLean - 1,480

Results taken from the January 2, 1947 Globe and Mail and might not exactly match final tallies.

References

Election Coverage. Globe and Mail. January 2, 1947