1952 Toronto municipal election

Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on December 1, 1952. Incumbent mayor Allan Lamport easily won against former alderman Nathan Phillips.

There were two referendum questions on the ballot. One called for municipal terms in the city to be extended from one year to two. This measure was rejected, but was later passed in the 1955 election. The second measure was to approve funds for the construction of the Regent Park housing project, which was passed by a slim margin.

The province of Ontario passed legislation on April 7, 1953 federating the City of Toronto and twelve surrounding suburban townships and villages into the municipality of Metropolitan Toronto. A Metropolitan Toronto Council came into being on April 15, 1953 and was made up of the Metro Chairman, Frederick Gardiner, who had been appointed by the province, the Mayor of Toronto, the City of Toronto's two most senior Controllers, nine senior aldermen from each of the City of Toronto (the top finisher in each ward), and the twelve suburban mayors and reeves.^[1]

Toronto mayor[]

Lamport and Phillips had contested the mayoralty a year earlier in 1951. Phillips' vote increased substantially in the rematch, but Lamport was still easily reelected.

Results

Allan Lamport - 81,448

Nathan Phillips - 41,923

Board of Control[]

All four incumbents were reelected to the Board of Control despite several high-profile candidates running as well. Two sitting aldermen, Joseph Cornish and , ran for spots, but finished fifth and sixth. In seventh was former Controller and Communist Stewart Smith.

Results

Leslie Saunders (incumbent) - 71,597

Louis Shannon (incumbent) - 61,154

David Balfour (incumbent) - 58,898

Ford Brand (incumbent) - 58,648

Joseph Cornish - 41,086

- 30,219

Stewart Smith - 19,061

Harry Bradley - 17,480

Frederick Vacher - 7,065

Mahoney - 7,046

City council[]

Ward 1 (Riverdale)

William Allen (incumbent) - 9,886

- 8,583

Spence - 2,368

Morrison - 1,961

Ward 2 (Cabbagetown and Rosedale)

William Dennison - 4,090

- 3,657

C.M. Edwards - 2,436

Irene Nash - 1,086

Wilson - 1,085

Ross - 843

Taylor - 773

Burke - 611

Hill - 490

Ward 3 (West Downtown and Summerhill)

(incumbent) - 4,826

(incumbent) - 4,154

Richard Newson - 1,238

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

Allan Grossman (incumbent) - 6,143

Francis Chambers (incumbent) - 5,920

- 3,156

Henderson - 1,053

Ward 5 (Trinity-Bellwoods and Little Italy)

Joseph Gould - 6,490

Philip Givens (incumbent) - 6,294

- 4,851

- 3,692

Lockhart - 1,372

Ward 6 (Davenport and Parkdale)

(incumbent) - 10,291

- 7,177

- 6,350

Colucci - 4,065

Hector MacArthur - 2,174

Genovese - 1,747

Patrick McKeown - 1,112

Ward 7 (West Toronto Junction)

(incumbent) - 6,017

John Kucherepa (incumbent) - 4,441

John Duncan - 4,260

Selkirk - 2,919

Ward 8 (The Beaches)

(incumbent) - 11,898

(incumbent) - 10,913

McNulty - 4,671

William Probert - 3,603

John Square - 893

Ward 9 (North Toronto)

(incumbent) - 14,007

(incumbent) - 10,241

- 9,807

Results are taken from the December 3, 1953 Toronto Star and might not exactly match final tallies.

Outside Toronto[]

East York[]

(Election held on December 14)

Reeve

- acclaimed

Deputy Reeve

Marie Taylor - 3,994

Norman Cheeseman - 3,635

Source: ^[2]

Etobicoke[]

(Election held on December 6)

Reeve

Beverley Lewis (acclaimed)

Deputy Reeve

Edward A. Horton - 7,297

William V. Muir - 2,765

Source: ^[3]

Forest Hill[]

Reeve

Charles O. Bick - acclaimed

Deputy Reeve

Lawrence Simonsky - acclaimed

Source: "Start Municipal Election Battles in Three Suburbs Today; Forest Hill Reeve Retires", Baker, Alden. The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]17 Nov 1952: 9

Leaside[]

(Election held on December 14)

Mayor

Howard T. Burrell - 2,340

Robert Clark - 1,098

Reeve

David Brown (acclaimed)

Deputy Reeve

Royce Frith - 1,839

Ernest Frey - 1,779

Source: ^[2]

Long Branch[]

(Election held on December 6)

Reeve

Marie Curtis - 1,318

Thomas Carter (incumbent) - 1,168

Source: ^[3]

Mimico[]

Mayor

• A.D. Norris (acclaimed)

Source: ^[3]

New Toronto[]

Mayor

E.W. Grant (acclaimed)

Source: ^[3]

North York[]

(Election held on December 1)

Reeve

- 6,382

Nelson A. Boylen (incumbent) - 4,771

H.C. Gay - 4,256

Peter N. Byberg - 2,629

Source: "Lawyer Provides Upset: 3-Time North York Reeve Beaten", The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]02 Dec 1952: C5. and "McMahon defeats Boylen in N. York", Toronto Daily Star (1900-1971); Toronto, Ontario [Toronto, Ontario]02 Dec 1952: 22.

Scarborough[]

(Election held on December 6)

Reeve

Oliver E. Crockford - 8,428

James Vander Meulen - 3,803

Source: ^[4]

Swansea[]

Reeve

Dorothy Hague - acclaimed

Source: "Seven Municipalities Within Greater Toronto Going to Polls Today", Baker, Alden. The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]06 Dec 1952: 4.

Weston[]

Mayor

Richard C. Seagrave (acclaimed)

Reeve

J.F. Petrie (acclaimed)

Deputy Reeve

Ernest Lunnon (acclaimed)

Source: "Top Weston Officials Receive Acclamation", The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]20 Nov 1952: 5.

York Township[]

(Election held on December 8)

Reeve

- 10,288

Charles McMaster - 5,178

Source: ^[3]

References[]

• Election Coverage. Toronto Star. December 2, 1952