Toronto municipal election, 1949

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Municipal elections were held in Toronto , Ontario, Canada, on January 1, 1949. Hiram E. McCallum was elected to his first full term as mayor.

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.

Hiram E. McCallum Canadian politician

Hiram Emerson McCallum was a mayor of Toronto, Ontario from 1948-1951. He was also a member of the Orange Order in Canada.

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Toronto mayor

Mayor Robert Hood Saunders had resigned in 1948 and Controller McCallum was appointed to succeed him. McCallum faced only Trotskyist Ross Dowson in winning his first full term. Dowson won over 20% in his run, the best result the perennial candidate would ever receive and the best result for an open Trostkyist in a North American election.

Robert Hood Saunders Canadian mayor

Robert Hood Saunders, Q.C., CBE was mayor of Toronto from 1945 to 1948, President of the Canadian National Exhibition, chairman of the Ontario Hydro. He was also a member of the Orange Order in Canada.

Ross Jewitt Dowson was a Canadian Trotskyist political figure.

Results
Hiram E. McCallum - 97,715
Ross Dowson - 23,777

Board of Control

Two sitting members of the Board of Control were defeated. Alderman E.C. Roelfson had been appointed to the Board to replace McCallum when he was made mayor. Roelofson received few votes when running, placing seventh. Also defeated was incumbent K.B. McKellar. The two new arrivals were former Alderman Leslie Saunders and former Alderman and Member of Provincial Parliament Allan Lamport.

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.

A Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) is an elected member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada.

Results
John Innes (incumbent) - 53,599
Leslie Saunders - 57,746
David Balfour (incumbent) - 55,271
Allan Lamport - 52,037
Stewart Smith - 43,364
K.B. McKellar (incumbent) - 41,846
Leonard Reilly - 20,756
E.C. Roelofson (incumbent) - 11,905
Harry Bradley- 9,701

City council

Ward boundaries used in the 1949 election Toronto ward map 1964.PNG
Ward boundaries used in the 1949 election
Ward 1 (Riverdale)
Charles Walton (incumbent) - 8,516
John McMechan - 7,660
Harry Marley - 3,392
Arnold Lorenz - 2,715
Ward 2 (Cabbagetown and Rosedale)
Louis Shannon (incumbent) - 6,308
Everett Weaver (incumbent) - 5,107
May Birchard - 4,177
Sylvester Perry - 1,314
Ward 3 (West Downtown and Summerhill)
Harold Fishleigh (incumbent) - 3,865
Howard Phillips - 2,956
Edith Probert - 1,436
John MacVicar - 1,078
Frank Frier - 724
Francis Burns - 249
Samuel Hawthorne - 218
Ward 4 (The Annex, Kensington Market and Garment District)
Nathan Phillips (incumbent) - 5,967
Norman Freed (incumbent) - 5,927
Francis Chambers - 5,736
William Gallaher - 525
Ward 5 (Trinity-Bellwoods
Charles Sims (incumbent) - 8,429
Arthur Frost (incumbent) - 7,980
Joseph Gould - 7,714
Patrick McKeown - 1,132
Ward 6 (Davenport and Parkdale)
George Granell (incumbent) - 12,434
W.F. Clifton (incumbent) - 11,295
Dewar Ferguson - 5,904
Lester Nelson - 3,712
Gene Dopp - 1,712
Ward 7 (West Toronto Junction)
Charles Rowntree (incumbent) - 5,461
Alfred Cowling - 3,347
William Davidson (incumbent) - 3,129
David Sanderson - 2,739
Earl Selkirk - 2,387
Ward 8 (The Beaches)
Roy Mealing (incumbent) - 10,640
W.H. Collings (incumbent) - 10,594
William Probert - 3,040
Maurice Punshon - 3,646
Ward 9 (North Toronto)
Frank Nash - 9,089
Roy Belyea - 15,486
Melville Wilson (incumbent) - 7,377
William Mitchell - 10,542
Harry Cooke - 1,533
Frederick Vacher - 1,438
John Crook - 714
Carl Lewis - 561

Results taken from the January 3, 1949 Toronto Star and might not exactly match final tallies.

Vacancy

Ward 1 Alderman Charles Walton resigned upon appointment to the Toronto Transportation Commission on November 29, 1949 and was not replaced.

Charles A. Walton was born in Toronto and attended Park and Earl Grey Public Schools, Riverdale Collegiate and Shaw's Business School. He pursued a career in real estate and was involved with Billy Summerville in the construction and operation of the Eastwood and Prince of Wales Theatres in Toronto. Walton became active in civic affairs when he was elected to the Toronto City Council in 1945. He served until 1949, during which time he served as chair of several committees. He was appointed to the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC)in 1949, and served continuously until 1968. Walton was appointed Chairman effective January 3, 1959 following the sudden resignation of Allan A. Lamport. He served as Chairman until 1960, when he was replaced by Clarence Downey. At that time, he became Vice-Chairman of the TTC and President of Gray Coach Lines, posts he held until his term on the Commission expired in early 1968, when he was not re-appointed by Metro Council in an effort to bring fresh faces to the Commission.

Toronto Transportation Commission

Toronto Transportation Commission (TTC) was the public transit operator in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which operated buses, streetcars and the island ferries. The system was renamed to the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) in 1954.

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