**Municipal elections were held in Toronto**, Canada, on January 2, 1888. Edward Frederick Clarke, a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, defeated Alderman Elias Rogers, owner of a well-known coal and home heating company, and Daniel Defoe, a lawyer and former alderman.
Rogers, a Quaker, was seen as the "temperance [anti-alcohol] candidate for mayor" while Clarke was favoured by tavern and liquor store owners and anti-temperance voters. Clarke's victory, along with the defeat of two liquor bylaws being proposed by referendum (popular vote), were seen as a victory for anti-temperance views.

Toronto mayor
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Results
* **Edward Frederick Clarke** - 7,951
* Elias Rogers - 7,050
* Daniel Defoe - 2,019

Referendum
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Votes were held on three planned by-laws, one to approve spending for a "trunk sewer", a second by-law to reduce the number of taverns licensed to serve liquor from 150 to 100, and a third to reduce the number of shops licensed to sell liquor from 50 to 20. All three by-laws were defeated.

Trunk sewer by-law
For - 2,825
**Against** - 3,737
Tavern license by-law
For - 7,371
**Against** - 8,187
Shop license by-law
For - 7,743
**Against** - 8,146

Aldermen elected to city council
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St. Andrew's Ward
**E. King Dodds** (incumbent) - 837
**William Carlyle** (incumbent) - 822
**Thomas Pells** - 769
William Burns - 699
J. D. Henderson - 633
James Bond - 519 
St. David's Ward
**John C. Swait** (incumbent) - 1,255
**William H. Gibbs** - 1,179
**Robert J. Fleming** (incumbent) - 1,019
J. G. Gibson - 940
Wickett (incumbent) -  770
St. George's Ward
**George E. Gillespie** (incumbent) - *acclaimed*
**John Maugham** (incumbent) - *acclaimed*
**George Verral** (incumbent) - *acclaimed* 
St. James' Ward
**Alfred McDougall**  - 1,165
**James B. Boustead** (incumbent) - 1,017 
**John McMillan** (incumbent) - 1,053
Wallace Millichamp (incumbent) - 774
St. John's Ward
**H. L. Piper** (incumbent) - 1,025
**Irwin** (incumbent) - 814
**A. H. Gilbert** - 679
Frank Moses - 642
R. J. Score - 622
James Thomson - 572 
St. Lawrence Ward
**Garrett F. Frankland** (incumbent) - 733
**John Hallam** - 634
**Morrison** (incumbent) - 616
Charles Small - 561
Thomas Thompson - 399
St. Mark's Ward
**John Ritchie**  (incumbent) - 456
**Michael J. Woods** (incumbent) - 401
**Charles Frederick Denison** (incumbent) - 410
David D. Christie - 286
James Roney - 245
Robert Brown - 95
St. Matthew's Ward
**Jones**  (incumbent) - 371
**Francis E. Galbraith** - 308
**Peter Macdonald** - 295
Ernest A. Macdonald (incumbent) - 247
Ingham (incumbent) - 182:Thomas Foster - 29
St. Patrick's Ward
**John Baxter** (incumbent) - 1,966
**Harvie** (incumbent) - 1,467
**George J. St. Leger** (incumbent) - 1,214
Isaac Wardell - 1,187
St. Paul's Ward
**W. J. Hill** (incumbent) - *acclamation*
**William Roaf** - (incumbent) *acclamation*
**John Shaw** (incumbent) -  *acclamation*
St. Stephen's Ward 
**Johnston**  (incumbent) - 1,178
**William Bell** - 1,079
**Barton**  (incumbent) - 1,001
Robert H. Graham (incumbent) - 926
R. W. Prittie - 477
St. Thomas' Ward 
**William Carlyle** (incumbent) - 892
**Edward Hewitt**  - 691
**Drayton** (incumbent) - 655
Galley (incumbent) - 632 
William Park - 375