Toronto municipal election, January 1950

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Municipal elections were held in Toronto , Ontario, Canada, on January 2, 1950. This was the last time election were held in January, as a ballot measure passed changing the election date to the first Monday in December. This attempt to increase turnout went into effect immediately and an election was held December 4, 1950. The central issue of the campaign was whether to legalize sport on Sundays, with Controller Allan Lamport the main proponent. A referendum was held on the subject, and it passed by a slim margin.

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.

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Toronto mayor

Incumbent Hiram E. McCallum easily won reelection against two minor candidates.

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.

Results
Hiram E. McCallum – 133,320
C.H. Mahoney – 19,658
Ross Dowson – 15,600

Board of Control

All sitting members of the Board of Control chose to run for reelection. Alderman Louis Shannon attempted to win a seat, but finished fifth.

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.

J. Louis Shannon was a municipal politician in Toronto, Ontario, Canada who served for many years on Toronto City Council and the Toronto Board of Control.

Results
John Innes (incumbent) – 96,139
Leslie Saunders (incumbent) – 87,799
David Balfour (incumbent) – 78,090
Allan Lamport (incumbent) – 72,436
Louis Shannon – 72,059
Stewart Smith – 45,251
Harry Bradley- 21,719
Frederick Vacher – 9,850

City council

Ward boundaries used in the 1950 election Toronto ward map 1964.PNG
Ward boundaries used in the 1950 election
Ward 1 (Riverdale)
John McMechan (incumbent) – 9,328
William Allen – 8,512
Kenneth Waters – 8,060
Roy Cadwell – 3,299
Harry Marley – 2,263
Ward 2 (Cabbagetown and Rosedale)
Joseph Cornish – 6,237
Beverley Sparling – 5,642
May Birchard – 5,560
Sylvester Perry – 2,064
William MacKenzie – 1,422
Harold West – 692
Ward 3 (West Downtown and Summerhill)
Harold Fishleigh (incumbent) – acclaimed
Howard Phillips (incumbent) – acclaimed
Ward 4 (The Annex, Kensington Market and Garment District)
Nathan Phillips (incumbent) – 7,941
Norman Freed (incumbent) – 6,553
Francis Chambers – 6,319
Alfred Whiskin – 649
Francis Love – 648
Ward 5 (Trinity-Bellwoods)
Joseph Gould – 10,252
Arthur Frost (incumbent) – 10,110
Charles Sims (incumbent) – 8,462
Pat McKeown – 1,086
Ward 6 (Davenport and Parkdale)
George Granell (incumbent) – 15,029
Lester Nelson – 8,299
William Duckworth – 7,971
Robert Colucci – 7,573
Dewar Ferguson – 5,596
Harry Branscombe – 3,720
Ward 7 (West Toronto Junction)
William Davidson – 8,727
Alfred Cowling (incumbent) – 8,005
David Sanderson – 5,989
Ward 8 (The Beaches)
Ross Lipsett – 13,686
W.H. Collings (incumbent) – 12,174
Roy Mealing (incumbent) – 9,560
Maurice Punshon – 3,646
William Probert – 3,040
John Square – 968
Ward 9 (North Toronto)
Frank Nash (incumbent) – 15,677
Roy Belyea (incumbent) – 15,486
William Mitchell – 10,542

Results taken from the January 3, 1950 Toronto Star and might not exactly match final tallies.

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