1938 Edmonton municipal election

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The 1938 municipal election was held November 9, 1938 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and three trustees to sit on the public school board, while three trustees were acclaimed to the separate school board. Voters also rejected two proposals to borrow money from other levels of government for the construction of new housing.

Contents

There were ten aldermen on city council, but five of the positions were already filled: Edward Brown, Frederick Casselman, Douglas Grout (SS), George Campbell, and Dan Knott were all elected to two-year terms in 1937 and were still in office.

There were seven trustees on the public school board, but four of the positions were already filled: Albert Ottewell (SS), Walter Morrish, Sidney Bowcott, and Bruce Smith had been elected to two-year terms in 1937 and were still in office. The same was true on the separate school board, where Hugh Currie, Charles Gariepy, William Wilde (SS), and John Whelihan were continuing.

Voter turnout

There were 23,599 ballots cast out of 53,848 eligible voters, for a voter turnout of 43.8%.

Results

Mayor

PartyCandidateVotes %
Citizens' Committee John Wesley Fry 12,49153.34%
Independent Joseph Clarke 5,92225.29%
  Canadian Labour Party/
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
Charles Gould4,80720.53%
 
Independent Frederick Speed1980.85%

Aldermen

PartyCandidateVotesElected
Citizens' Committee Hugh MacDonald 13,424Green check.svgY
Citizens' Committee Mack McColl10,695Green check.svgY
Citizens' Committee James Ogilvie11,893Green check.svgY
Citizens' Committee Sidney Parsons 11,354Green check.svgY
Citizens' Committee Blair Paterson11,231SSGreen check.svgY
  Canadian Labour Party/
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
Harry Ainlay 9,876SS
 
Progressive Margaret Crang8,664SS
  Canadian Labour Party/
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
James Findlay8,561
 
  Canadian Labour Party/
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
William Miller6,387
 
Progressive Elisha East6,000
Independent Sidney Bowcott5,083
Independent M. M. Downey2,619SS
Independent Raymond C. Ghostley2,065

The civic Progressive party, with candidates for alderman and public school trustee, represented a "united front" of the Communist Party, the Social Credit movement and other leftist reformers. [1]

Public school trustees

PartyCandidateVotesElected
Citizens' Committee Izena Ross11,716Green check.svgY
Citizens' Committee Armour Ford11,189Green check.svgY
Citizens' Committee W. G. McConachie10,520Green check.svgY
Progressive Frank Crang8,171SS
  Canadian Labour Party/
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
W. H. Thornton6,264
 
Progressive Mary Ann Gilchrist5,141
  Canadian Labour Party/
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
A. Richardson3,559
 

Separate (Catholic) school trustees

Adrien Crowe (SS), James O'Hara, and J O Pilon were acclaimed.

Plebiscites

Low Income Housing

Are you in favour of the city borrowing from the Dominion or Provincial governments, to construct low cost dwelling houses in Edmonton, for rental purposes only, a sum not exceeding $250,000, repayable in from 20 to 35 years, with interest not exceeding two per cent per annum?

  • Yes - 2,687
  • No - 3,593

Regular Housing

Are you in favour of the city borrowing from the Dominion or Provincial governments, for the purpose of loaning to individuals to construct dwelling houses in Edmonton, a sum not exceeding $250,000, repayable in from 20 to 35 years at a rate of interest not exceeding five percent per annum?

  • Yes - 2,430
  • No - 3,578

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References

  1. Tom Monto, Protest and Progress Three Labour Radicals in Early Edmonton (2012), p. 300