1947 Toronto municipal election

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