Toronto municipal election, 1940

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Municipal elections were held in Toronto , Ontario, Canada, on January 1, 1940. Incumbent Ralph Day was re-elected mayor. The election saw little change with all incumbent councillors and Board of Control members being reelected.

Toronto Provincial capital city in Ontario, Canada

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the most populous city in Canada, with a population of 2,731,571 in 2016. Current to 2016, the Toronto census metropolitan area (CMA), of which the majority is within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), held a population of 5,928,040, making it Canada's most populous CMA. Toronto is the anchor of an urban agglomeration, known as the Golden Horseshoe in Southern Ontario, located on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A global city, Toronto is a centre of business, finance, arts, and culture, and is recognized as one of the most multicultural and cosmopolitan cities in the world.

Ralph Day Canadian politician

Ralph Carrette Day was mayor of Toronto, Ontario from 1938 to 1940. He was also an accomplished funeral director, owning his own funeral home. He also served as chairman of the Toronto Transit Commission in the 1960s and 1970s. He was also a member of the Orange Order in Canada.

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Toronto mayor

Day was challenged for a second time by lawyer Lewis Duncan.

Lewis Duncan Canadian politician, Lawyer, Military officer, veteran of WWI.

James Lewis Duncan was a Canadian politician and lawyer.

Results
Ralph Day - 61,480
Lewis Duncan - 38,011

Board of Control

Two aldermen attempted to win seats on the Board of Control, David A. Balfour and communist Stewart Smith. Neither were successful as all four incumbents were reelected.

The Board of Control of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, was a part of its municipal government until it was abolished in 1969. It served as the executive committee of the Toronto City Council, consisting of four "controllers" elected citywide and presided over by the Mayor. Beginning in 1904, the Board of Control was directly elected by the city's electorate. Each voter could vote for up to four candidates, and the four with the most votes were elected. By tradition the controller who received the most votes would get the powerful budget chief position.

David A. Balfour (1889–1956) was a municipal politician in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was active in civic politics from 1939 until 1955. This included twelve years on the Board of Control, a longer service than anyone prior.

Stewart Smith (politician) Canadian politician

Stewart Smith was a long-time leading member of the Communist Party of Canada. He also served on Toronto City Council for a period in the 1930s and 1940s.

Results
Frederick J. Conboy (incumbent) - 78,672
Douglas McNish (incumbent) - 68,774
Fred Hamilton (incumbent) - 60,124
William J. Wadsworth (incumbent) - 55,756
David A. Balfour - 43,261
Stewart Smith - 19,641
Robert Harding - 6,548

City council

Ward boundaries used in the 1940 election Toronto ward map 1964.PNG
Ward boundaries used in the 1940 election
Ward 1 (Riverdale)
Gordon Millen (incumbent) - 8,901
Frank M. Johnston (incumbent) - 8,152
Charles Minett - 2,161
Harry Bell - 1,717
William Richards - 1,024
Ward 2 (Cabbagetown and Rosedale)
Louis Shannon (incumbent) - 5,593
Adelaide Plumptre (incumbent) - 5,272
Tupper Bigelow - 1,593
George Harris - 920
George A. Wilson - 559
James McCausland - 459
Ward 3 (Central Business District)
John S. Simmons (incumbent) - 3,983
Percy Quinn (incumbent) - 3,908
Jean Laing - 1,217
Ward 4 (The Annex, Kensington Market and Garment District)
Nathan Phillips (incumbent) - 5,427
Robert Hood Saunders - 4,900
Claude Pearce - 2,761
J.B. Salsberg - 2,154
Louis Zuker - 1,362
Lloyd Muritt - 381
Ward 5 (Trinity-Bellwoods
Ernest Bogart (incumbent) - 9,963
Charles Carrie - 7,556
Fred Collins - 2,686
Pat V. Roach - 1,534
Charles Lewis - 1,506
Charles Kerr - 1,149
Charles Graham - 572
Ward 6 (Davenport and Parkdale)
William V. Muir (incumbent) - 8,503
D.C. MacGregor (incumbent) - 8,213
George Robinson - 6,554
George Grannell - 5,792
Jack Bennett - 2,613
Richard Jones - 1,140
William Logie - 733
Ward 7 (West Toronto Junction)
Charles Rowntree (incumbent) - 6,395
H.M. Davy (incumbent) - 5,277
Frank Whetter - 2,893
Harold Clarke - 801
Harry Bradley - 518
Ward 8 (The Beaches)
Ernest Bray (incumbent) - 9,889
Walter Howell (incumbent) - 9,404
Hiram E. McCallum - 6,330
Ernest Woollon - 4,988
Ward 9 (North Toronto)
Donald Fleming (incumbent) - 8,154
John Innes (incumbent) - 7,186
Harry Kennedy - 6,690
William D. Ellis - 4,494
Douglas Hodder - 378

Results taken from the January 2, 1940 Globe and Mail and might not exactly match final tallies.

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