1969 Toronto municipal election

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

William Dennison - 65,988

Margaret Campbell - 52,742

Stephen Clarkson (Civic Liberal) - 31,889

John Riddell (League for Socialist Action) - 2,363

Ward boundaries used in the 1969 election

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".[1]

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.[2]

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.

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. .

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.[3] 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.

• Beast Michael, "Party Politics Provide a Lively Life in Race for Toronto City Council", Toronto Daily Star, November 29, 1969. pg 26-27.
• "Election Results." Toronto Daily Star, December 2, 1969. pg. 8

• Sewell, John. Up Against City Hall (1972)
• Clarkson, Stephen. City Lib; Parties and Reform