1959 Edmonton municipal election

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The 1959 Edmonton municipal election was held October 14, 1959, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and four trustees to sit on each of the public and separate school boards. The electorate also decided eleven plebiscite questions.

Contents

There were ten aldermen on city council, but five of the positions were already filled: Frederick John Mitchell, George Prudham, Donald Bowen, Ethel Wilson, and Laurette Douglas were all elected to two-year terms in 1958 and were still in office (in fact, Mitchell was in office as mayor, having been appointed four weeks earlier by council to replace William Hawrelak (resigned September 9, 1959), but city bylaws allowed him to resume his aldermanic term once a new mayor was elected).

There were seven trustees on the public school board, but three of the positions were already filled: J. Percy Page, Robert Thorogood, and William Orobko were elected to two-year terms in 1958 and were still in office. The same was true on the separate board, where Leo Lemieux, Vincent Dantzer, and E D Stack were continuing.

Voter turnout

There were 52357 ballots cast out of 150062 eligible voters, for a voter turnout of 34.9%.

Results

Mayor

PartyCandidateVotes%
Citizens' Committee and Civic Reform Association Elmer Roper 25,46549.02%
Independent James Harper Prowse 19,31837.19%
Independent William Pasternak662412.75%
Independent John Thomas Bennett5421.04%

Aldermen

PartyCandidateVotesElected
Citizens' Committee & Civic Reform AssociationWilliam Henning27,825SSGreen check.svgY
Civic Reform AssociationAngus McGugan22,711SSGreen check.svgY
Civic Reform AssociationEd Leger21,372SSGreen check.svgY
Civic Reform AssociationGordon McClary19,269Green check.svgY
Citizens' Committee McKim Ross17,950SSGreen check.svgY
Citizens' Committee Cliffard Roy17,172SS
Citizens' Committee Morris Weinlos16,769
Civic Reform AssociationJ. Les Bodie15,077
Citizens' Committee Robert McDonald14,592
Independent Ivor Dent 13,870SS
Edmonton Voters Association Julia Kiniski 9,703
Independent Allan Welsh8,824
Independent Orval Allen7,671SS
Independent Charles Simmonds7,629SS
Independent Stan Rogalski3,787
Edmonton Voters AssociationE. J. (Slim) Powell3,050
Edmonton Voters AssociationWalter Doskoch2,639

Public school trustees

PartyCandidateVotesElected
Citizens' Committee & Civic Reform AssociationAngus MacDonald26,928 Green check.svgY
Civic Reform Association Edith Rogers 24,893 Green check.svgY
Citizens' Committee & Civic Reform AssociationVernon Johnson22,467SSGreen check.svgY
Civic Reform AssociationMurray Stewart Cooke20,707
Citizens' Committee Ernest Hanna18,685
Citizens' Committee Douglas Thomson14,742SSGreen check.svgY
Independent David Graham12,641
Edmonton Voters AssociationJohn Rawluk3,685

Separate (Catholic) school trustees

PartyCandidateVotesElected
Independent Joseph Moreau7,165 Green check.svgY
Independent Orest Demco6,215 Green check.svgY
Independent Catherine McGrath6,158 Green check.svgY
Independent Henry Carrigan5,952SSGreen check.svgY
Independent Russell Burke5,892SS

Plebiscites

Fluoridation of Water

Shall fluorides, for the prevention of tooth decay, be added to the City water supply sufficient to bring the fluoride content of City water up to the level of one part fluoride to one million parts of water?

  • Yes - 27946
  • No - 22166

Landfill

Shall Council pass a bylaw creating a debenture debt in the sum of $75,000.00 for the purchase of land to be used as a refuse disposal area employing the sanitary fill method?

  • Yes - 20803
  • No - 8925

Traffic Lights

Shall Council pass a bylaw creating a debenture debt in the sum of $160,000.00 in order to purchase and locate traffic lights on certain highway intersections within the City?

  • Yes - 22886
  • No - 7128

Paving

Shall Council pass a bylaw creating a debenture debt in the sum of $250,000.00 for the City share of standard paving of arterial and residential streets?

  • Yes - 24502
  • No - 5528

Parks

Shall Council pass a bylaw creating a debenture debt in the sum of $750,000.00 for constructing or improving park areas or playgrounds and circles, buffer zones, ravine side boulevards, small parks and triangles?

  • Yes - 21718
  • No - 8154

Railway Underpass

Shall Council pass a bylaw creating a debenture debt in the sum of $300,00.00 for the City share of constructing an underpass of the Canadian National Railway tracks at the crossing of 127 Street at 126 Avenue?

  • Yes - 21420
  • No - 9218

Bridge over Mill Creek Ravine

Shall Council pass a bylaw creating a debenture debt in the sum of $500,000.00 for the City share of constructing a four lane bridge to replace the existing structure over Mill Creek Ravine at 82nd Avenue?

  • Yes - 23490
  • No - 6729

Royal Alexandra Hospital Expansion

Shall Council pass a bylaw creating a debenture debt in the sum of $3,000,000.00 so that the patient bed capacity of the new Royal Alexandra Hospital approved in 1958 may be increased by 300 beds and to buy equipment?

  • Yes - 25018
  • No - 5911

Swimming Pool

Shall Council pass a bylaw creating a debenture debt in the sum of $350,000.00 for the City share of constructing an indoor swimming Pool at Eastglen Composite High School situated at 114th Avenue and 68th Street?

  • Yes - 13842
  • No - 15577

Youth Shelter

Shall Council pass a bylaw creating a debenture debt in the sum of $175,000.00 for the purpose of constructing an Emergency Receiving Home for neglected children?

  • Yes - 25703
  • No - 4802

Bridges over MacKinnon and MacKenzie ravines

Shall Council pass a bylaw creating a debenture debt in the sum of $1,000,000.00 for the purpose of constructing two 4 lane bridges to replace the existing structures located at 142 Street and MacKinnon Ravine, and 142 Street and MacKenzie Ravine?

  • Yes - 16743
  • No - 12645

References

City of Edmonton: Edmonton Elections