# 1969 Toronto municipal election

Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on December 1, 1969. Across Metro Toronto there were few surprising results, and city of Toronto incumbent mayor William Dennison was easily re-elected. The one dramatic exception to this was on Toronto city council, where a number of long-standing members lost to young new arrivals who shared a common vision of opposition to the megaprojects that had transformed Toronto throughout the post-war period. While the reform movement candidate for mayor lost, it gained a strong presence on city council. The 1970s reform faction dominated Toronto politics for the next decade.

## Toronto mayoral race

The NDP chose not to enter an official mayoral candidate, but tacitly endorsed incumbent William Dennison, who ran as an independent but had been active in the New Democratic Party, and its predecessor the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, for many decades previously. The Liberals nominated University of Toronto professor Stephen Clarkson as their candidate. The third candidate was city controller Margaret Campbell. A Progressive Conservative, she ran on an explicitly reform platform.
One important issue in the race was the future of Metro Toronto, with Dennison pushing strongly for amalgamation of Metro into a single city. This initiative was opposed by the Progressive Conservative provincial government. During the election a non-binding referendum was held in the city, and found overwhelming support for amalgamation. There was also debate over whether Metro should continue to grow to incorporate the newly formed suburbs to the north in Markham and Thornhill.
Two of the most important issues was over the continuation of the urban renewal plans that had reshaped to Toronto in the 1950s and 1960s. Campbell staunchly opposed the Spadina Expressway and the further demolition of neighbourhoods to build apartment towers. Clarkson also opposed the expressway, but argued the city was giving up federal funding by abandoning the clearances program and that areas like Kensington Market and Trefann Court should be redeveloped.
Results of the December 1, 1969 Toronto Mayoral Election :
| Candidate | Candidate | Affiliation | Popular vote | Popular vote | Elected? |
| Candidate | Candidate | Affiliation | Votes | % | Elected? |
| | William Dennison (Incumbent) | Independent | 65,988 | 43.1% | |
| | Margaret Campbell | Independent | 52,742 | 34.5% | |
| | Stephen Clarkson | Civic Liberal | 31,889 | 20.9% | |
| | John Riddell | League for Socialist Action | 2,363 | 1.5% | |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 138,549 | | |
| Sources: ||||||

## Toronto city council

With this election, there were three important changes in how Toronto was governed. The Board of Control was abolished, replaced by an executive committee of city council and ward boundaries were redrawn to increase the number of wards from nine to 11. Each ward continued to elect two aldermen. The top candidate from each ward also won a seat on Metro Toronto council.
Political parties were introduced into municipal politics, with both the Liberals and New Democrats running slates. The Progressive Conservatives chose not to run as an organized slate, despite its supporters having a majority of seats on the council prior to the election. The locally based Civic Action Party (CIVAC) also organized for the election. Founded by Ryerson professor David Crombie, it was a loose coalition of moderate reform-minded candidates. The Trotskyist League for Socialist Action also ran candidates as a party. Thirdly, the ward map was redrawn with two new wards and the replacement of strip wards with had extended from the northern limits of the city to the lake with block wards with Bloor Street as a border. Under the previous boundaries wealthier neighbourhoods that tended to be north of Bloor were in the same wards as poorer neighbourhoods south of Bloor which usually resulted in alderman being elected from richer neighbourhoods with higher turnout. As a result of the new boundaries, more affluent neighbourhoods north of Bloor were separated from what were normally poorer neighbourhoods south of Bloor and that, as a result, the new wards south of Bloor were more likely to elect alderman who represented the interests of poorer working class residents. The change occurred as a result of demands by social activists who went to the Ontario Municipal Board demanding a "block ward" system. As a result, the 1969 election saw several "reform" aldermen being elected, including John Sewell and Karl Jaffary in the new Ward 7 which had been carved out of the old Ward 2. Mayor Dennison commented that "They never would have been elected in Ward 2".
In the Toronto election, 22 aldermen were elected from 11 wards, with the two highest vote-getters in each ward being elected. The top vote-getter in each ward also won a seat on Metro Toronto Council. The election was a disaster for the Liberals: Clarkson finished a distant third, and only two members were elected to city council. Most successful of the parties was CIVAC, who won five seats. Three New Democrats were elected, and the rest of the winning candidates had run as independents.
The most striking change was the defeat of six incumbent, Tory, pro-development councillors by reform candidates. Michael Grayson, Oscar Sigsworth, Harold Menzies, Helen Johnston, Ken Dear, and Alice Summerville were defeated. Four other aldermen had retired prior to the election, and the new council contained ten new members. New arrivals included David Crombie, John Sewell, and Art Eggleton.
A loose coalition was formed that controlled 11 of the 22 council seats, but there were sharp divisions between the left members such as Sewell and Jaffary and more right-wing members such as Hope and O'Donahue. The coalition soon broke down. O'Donohue, Rotenberg, Eggleton sided more often with the Old Guard pro-development faction leaving only seven members who consistently opposed urban renewal plans.

### Ward 1 (Swansea and Bloor West Village)

    Ben Grys (incumbent)- 9,031
    William Boytchuk - 4,544
    Frank Paznar - 3,895
    William Zock (NDP) - 2,861
    Reta Hirons (NDP) - 2,069
    Robert Karfell (Liberal) - 1,245
    Harry Bradley - 800

### Ward 2 (Parkdale and Brockton)

    Allan Lamport (incumbent) - 5,817
    Archie Chisholm (NDP) - 4,412
    Kenneth Dear (incumbent) - 3,526
    Michael Comar (Liberal)- 1,670
    Robert Grossi - 1,345
    Nino De Costa (Liberal)- 1,116
    Michael Kaschuck - 677
    Harry Stone (League for Socialist Action)- 405

### Ward 3 (Davenport and Corso Italia)

    Hugh Bruce (Liberal, incumbent) - 5,131
    Joseph Piccininni (incumbent) - 4,340
    Fortunato Rao (NDP) - 1,563
    Marc Llanos (NDP) - 1,007
    Pamela Ward - 559
    Alice Maigis - 516

### Ward 4 (Trinity-Bellwoods and Little Italy)

    Tony O'Donohue (incumbent, CIVAC) - 4,962
    Art Eggleton (CIVAC) - 2,668
    Johnny Lombardi - 2,473
    Vernon Kimball (NDP) - 1,083
    Frank Lacka - 1,044
    Jack Matraia - 609
    Norman Brudy - 392
    Harold Peerenboom (Liberal) - 332

### Ward 5 (The Annex and Yorkville)

    Ying Hope (CIVAC) - 6,016
    William Archer - 5,370
    Harold Menzies (incumbent) - 3,916
    Hugh Marchand (NDP) - 3,058
    Kenneth Counsell (Liberal) - 2,679
    Frank Ricciuti (Liberal) - 2,300
    Ted Culp (NDP) - 768
    David Astle - 574
    Joan Newbigging (League for Socialist Action) - 330

### Ward 6 (Financial District, Toronto - University of Toronto)

    June Marks (incumbent) - 4,738
    Horace Brown (incumbent) - 2,810
    Peter Stollery (Liberal) - 2,768
    Michael Grayson (incumbent) - 2,755
    John Conforzi (CIVAC) - 2,314
    Helen Roedde (NDP) - 2,052
    Donald Flowers (Liberal) - 977
    Charles Downes - 624
    Dorothy Cureatz - 301
    James Sanderson - 180

### Ward 7 (Regent Park and Riverdale)

    Karl Jaffary (NDP) - 5,433
    John Sewell - 5,054
    Oscar Sigsworth (incumbent) - 3,093
    Michael Doran - 2,554
    Sam Rotenburg - 2,515
    Douglas Loney (Liberal) - 1,379
    Richard Fidler (League for Socialist Action) - 418
    Charles Rolfe - 324
    Steve Necheff - 270

### Ward 8 (Riverdale)

    Fred Beavis (incumbent) - 7,154
    Tom Clifford - 4,158
    Tony Barclay (NDP) - 3,090
    Betty Knight - 2,763
    Steve Arvanitis (NDP) - 2,681
    Tony Calderaro (Liberal) - 990
    Kenneth Swire - 331

### Ward 9 (The Beaches)

    Tom Wardle Sr. (incumbent) - 9,178
    Reid Scott (NDP) - 8,965
    Alice Summerville (incumbent) - 5,697
    Gerry Thompson (NDP) - 3,528
    Robert Fullerton - 1,733
    Don Grills (Liberal) - 1,116

### Ward 10 (Rosedale and North Toronto)

    Paul Pickett (incumbent) - 13,700
    William Kilbourn (Liberal) - 8,221
    Helen Johnston (incumbent) - 5,371
    Ann Tomlinson (Liberal) - 3,508
    Juanna Hemsol (CIVAC) - 2,353
    Eleanor O'Connor (NDP) - 1,849
    Michael Harper - 962

### Ward 11 (Forest Hill and North Toronto)

    David Rotenberg (incumbent, CIVAC) - 15, 389
    David Crombie (CIVAC) - 14,036
    Samuel Kellner (Liberal) - 7,512
    Bernard Eastman (NDP) - 1,773
    Robert MacGilchrist - 1,466
    Pauline Shapero - 673
Results are taken from the December 2, 1969 Toronto Star and might not exactly match final tallies.

## Vacancy

Ward 9 Alderman Tom Wardle Sr., elected in the 1971 provincial election and resigned from City Council on September 12, 1972 when the provincial government passed legislation to prohibit MPPs from holding municipal office. His resignation was accepted on September 13 and the remaining Ward 9 Alderman Reid Scott was appointed Metro Councillor. .

## Suburbs

There were few surprises in the elections outside the city of Toronto. Incumbent mayors True Davidson, Robert W. White, Edward A. Horton respectively in East York, Scarborough, and Etobicoke were reelected. Philip White won the vacant mayoralty in York and Basil H. Hall won the open seat in North York, defeating Ron Barbaro who was the nominee of the Liberal Party as part of its attempt to enter municipal politics. There were few upsets on the councils. One notable new arrival on North York council (Board of Control) was Bad Boy furniture owner Mel Lastman. Paul Godfrey was re-elected as an alderman by acclamation and Dennis Timbrell is elected alderman at the age of 23, Robert Yuill was re-elected as ward alderman.

### East York
#### Mayor

    (incumbent)True Davidson 16,236 (62.6%)
    Royden Brigham 9,709 (37.4%)
(source: Toronto Daily Star, page 13, December 2, 1969)

### Etobicoke
#### Mayor

    (incumbent)Edward Austin Horton 25,016 (51.70%)
    Dennis Flynn 23,367 (48.29%)
Flynn, a City of Toronto information officer, came close to unseating Horton despite only beginning his campaign two days before election day. He would go on to be a long-time Mayor of Etobicoke and later Metro Chairman.
(source: Toronto Daily Star, page 12, December 2, 1969)

#### Board of Control (4 elected)

    (incumbent)Donald Russell 30,852
    (incumbent)David Lacey 28,340
    (incumbent)John Carroll 25,660
    John Allen 23,717
    E. H. Farrow 21,203
    Thomas Berry 17,893
(source: Toronto Daily Star, page 12, December 2, 1969)

#### Council

Sportswriter Dick Beddoes was elected alderman for Ward 2.
(source: Toronto Daily Star, page 12, December 2, 1969)

### North York
#### Mayor

    Basil H. Hall - 55,654 (67.26%)
    Ron Barbaro - 20,019 (24.19%)
    Sam Sherman - 7,060 (8.53%)

#### Board of Control (4 elected)

    Irv Paisley - 41,328
    (incumbent)Paul Hunt - 41,212
    Mel Lastman - 35,580
    John Booth - 34,077
    Donald Brill - 28,111
    Alex McGivern - 27,944
    Donald Aldcorn - 22,111
    Sam Wagman - 12,468
    Jerry Ewins - 9,267

### Scarborough
#### Mayor

    Robert W. White - 44,307 (80.31%)
    Albert G. Early - 10,879 (19.69%)

#### Board of Control

    {x)Gus Harris - 34,456
    Ken Morrish - 33,890
    (incumbent)Brian Harrison - 30,050
    (incumbent)Karl Mallette - 28,671
    Frank Faubert - 23,506
    George Peck - 22,685

### York
#### Mayor

    Philip White 13,749
    C. Wesley Boddington 11,826
Controller Phillip White defeated fellow Controller and former Weston mayor Boddington.

#### Board of Control (2 elected)

    James Trimbee 12,561
    Douglas Saunders 11,920
    Denis Shute 7,888
    Chris Tonks 6,959
(source: Toronto Daily Star, page 13, December 2, 1969)