1902 Ontario prohibition referendum

A referendum on the legality of alcoholic beverages was held in Ontario, Canada on December 4, 1902. Though 65 percent of voters indicated support for prohibition, a majority of half of the number of voters in the 1898 election did not support the motion, and prohibition was not introduced.

Referendum question
Are you in favour of bringing into force Part II of The Liquor Act, 1902?

The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council had previously ruled in 1896 that provinces do not have the authority to prohibit the importation of alcohol. Part II of the Liquor Act would authorize prohibition to the extent that Ontario would be allowed to enact, specifically a ban on the sale of alcohol in bars and retail establishments and the placement of restrictions on the sale of alcohol in restaurants.

The Act provided that passage in the referendum was contingent on several conditions being met:

"104. In case  it  appears  from  the  said  summary  that a majority  of  the  votes  on  the  said  question  are  in  the  affirmative and  that  the  number  of  votes  on  the  said  question  in  the  affirmative  exceeds  one  half  of  the  number  of  votes  certified  to  by  the Clerk  of  the  Crown  in  Chancery  as  hereinafter  mentioned,  the Lieutenant-Governor  in  Council  shall  issue  his  Proclamation  in the  Ontario  Gazette  declaring  Part  II.  of  this  Act  to  be  in  force  on, from  and  after  the  first  day  of  May,  1904,  and  Part  II.  of  this  Act shall  come  into  force  and  take  effect  on,  from  and  after  the said  date  accordingly,  but  the  provisions  contained  in  said  Part II.  with  respect  to  applications  for  license  and  all  matters  connected therewith  or  appertaining  thereto,  and  with  respect  to the  issue  of  such  licenses  may  be  resorted  to,  applied  and  followed at  any  time  before  the  said  first  day  of  May  for  the purpose  of  procuring  the  issue  of  licenses  under  this  Act  to take  effect  on  and  from  the  said  date.

(2) The  Clerk  of  the  Crown  in  Chancery  shall  certify  under his  hand  and  seal  to  the  Lieutenant-Governor  in  Council  the total  number  of  votes  arrived  at  by  adding  together
 * 1) the votes polled  for  all  of  the  candidates  at  the  general  election  of members  to  serve  in  the  Legislative  Assembly  in the year 1898 except  in  the  Electoral  District  of  Ottawa  ;
 * 2) one half  of  the votes  polled  for  all  the  candidates  in  the  said  Electoral  District of  Ottawa; and
 * 3) the number  of  votes  polled  at  the  last  contested election  held. prior  to  the  said  general  election  in  every electoral  district  for  which  a  candidate  was  returned  in  1898 by  acclamation."

Results
The Yes vote was less than the required threshold of 212,723, so prohibition was not adopted.

Only 12 of the 97 ridings voted No:


 * Essex North
 * Hamilton West
 * Kingston
 * London


 * Nipissing West
 * Ottawa
 * Prescott
 * Russell


 * Toronto East
 * Toronto South
 * Waterloo North
 * Welland