1952 Toronto municipal election

Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on December 1, 1952. Incumbent mayor Allan Lamport easily won against former alderman Nathan Phillips.

There were two referendum questions on the ballot. One called for municipal terms in the city to be extended from one year to two. This measure was rejected, but was later passed in the 1955 election. The second measure was to approve funds for the construction of the Regent Park housing project, which was passed by a slim margin.

The province of Ontario passed legislation on April 7, 1953 federating the City of Toronto and twelve surrounding suburban townships and villages into the municipality of Metropolitan Toronto. A Metropolitan Toronto Council came into being on April 15, 1953 and was made up of the Metro Chairman, Frederick Gardiner, who had been appointed by the province, the Mayor of Toronto, the City of Toronto's two most senior Controllers, nine senior aldermen from each of the City of Toronto (the top finisher in each ward), and the twelve suburban mayors and reeves.

Toronto mayor
Lamport and Phillips had contested the mayoralty a year earlier in 1951. Phillips' vote increased substantially in the rematch, but Lamport was still easily reelected.


 * Results:
 * Allan Lamport - 81,448
 * Nathan Phillips - 41,923

Board of Control
All four incumbents were reelected to the Board of Control despite several high-profile candidates running as well. Two sitting aldermen, Joseph Cornish and John McMechan, ran for spots, but finished fifth and sixth. In seventh was former Controller and Communist Stewart Smith.


 * Results
 * Leslie Saunders (incumbent) - 71,597
 * Louis Shannon (incumbent) - 61,154
 * David Balfour (incumbent) - 58,898
 * Ford Brand (incumbent) - 58,648
 * Joseph Cornish - 41,086
 * John McMechan - 30,219
 * Stewart Smith - 19,061
 * Harry Bradley - 17,480
 * Frederick Vacher - 7,065
 * Mahoney - 7,046

City council



 * Ward 1 (Riverdale)
 * William Allen (incumbent) - 9,886
 * Ken Waters - 8,583
 * Spence - 2,368
 * Morrison - 1,961


 * Ward 2 (Cabbagetown and Rosedale)
 * William Dennison - 4,090
 * Edgar Roxborough - 3,657
 * C.M. Edwards - 2,436
 * Irene Nash - 1,086
 * Wilson - 1,085
 * Ross - 843
 * Taylor - 773
 * Burke - 611
 * Hill - 490


 * Ward 3 (West Downtown and Summerhill)
 * John McVicar (incumbent) - 4,826
 * Howard Phillips (incumbent) - 4,154
 * Richard Newson - 1,238


 * Ward 4 (The Annex, Kensington Market and Garment District)
 * Allan Grossman (incumbent) - 6,143
 * Francis Chambers (incumbent) - 5,920
 * Norman Freed - 3,156
 * Henderson - 1,053


 * Ward 5 (Trinity-Bellwoods and Little Italy)
 * Joseph Gould - 6,490
 * Philip Givens (incumbent) - 6,294
 * Harold Menzies - 4,851
 * Charles Sims - 3,692
 * Lockhart - 1,372


 * Ward 6 (Davenport and Parkdale)
 * May Robinson (incumbent) - 10,291
 * Frank Clifton - 7,177
 * Lester Nelson - 6,350
 * Colucci - 4,065
 * Hector MacArthur - 2,174
 * Genovese - 1,747
 * Patrick McKeown - 1,112


 * Ward 7 (West Toronto Junction)
 * William Davidson (incumbent) - 6,017
 * John Kucherepa (incumbent) - 4,441
 * John Duncan - 4,260
 * Selkirk - 2,919


 * Ward 8 (The Beaches)
 * Ross Lipsett (incumbent) - 11,898
 * Alex Hodgins (incumbent) - 10,913
 * McNulty - 4,671
 * William Probert - 3,603
 * John Square - 893


 * Ward 9 (North Toronto)
 * Roy E. Belyea (incumbent) - 14,007
 * Leonard Reilly (incumbent) - 10,241
 * David Burt - 9,807

Results are taken from the December 3, 1953 Toronto Star and might not exactly match final tallies.

East York
(Election held on December 14)
 * Reeve
 * Harry G. Simpson - acclaimed


 * Deputy Reeve
 * Marie Taylor - 3,994
 * Norman Cheeseman - 3,635

Source:

Etobicoke
(Election held on December 6)
 * Reeve
 * Beverley Lewis (acclaimed)


 * Deputy Reeve
 * Edward A. Horton - 7,297
 * William V. Muir - 2,765

Source:

Forest Hill

 * Reeve
 * Charles O. Bick - acclaimed


 * Deputy Reeve
 * Lawrence Simonsky - acclaimed

Source: "Start Municipal Election Battles in Three Suburbs Today; Forest Hill Reeve Retires", Baker, Alden. The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]17 Nov 1952: 9

Leaside
(Election held on December 14)
 * Mayor
 * Howard T. Burrell - 2,340
 * Robert Clark - 1,098


 * Reeve
 * David Brown (acclaimed)


 * Deputy Reeve
 * Royce Frith - 1,839
 * Ernest Frey - 1,779

Source:

Long Branch
(Election held on December 6)
 * Reeve
 * Marie Curtis - 1,318
 * Thomas Carter (incumbent) - 1,168

Source:

Mimico
Source:
 * Mayor
 * A.D. Norris (acclaimed)

New Toronto

 * Mayor
 * E.W. Grant (acclaimed)

Source:

North York
(Election held on December 1)
 * Reeve
 * Fred McMahon - 6,382
 * Nelson A. Boylen (incumbent) - 4,771
 * H.C. Gay - 4,256
 * Peter N. Byberg - 2,629

Source: "Lawyer Provides Upset: 3-Time North York Reeve Beaten", The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]02 Dec 1952: C5. and "McMahon defeats Boylen in N. York", Toronto Daily Star (1900-1971); Toronto, Ontario [Toronto, Ontario]02 Dec 1952: 22.

Scarborough
(Election held on December 6)


 * Reeve
 * Oliver E. Crockford - 8,428
 * James Vander Meulen - 3,803

Source:

Swansea

 * Reeve
 * Dorothy Hague - acclaimed

Source: "Seven Municipalities Within Greater Toronto Going to Polls Today", Baker, Alden. The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]06 Dec 1952: 4.

Weston

 * Mayor
 * Richard C. Seagrave (acclaimed)


 * Reeve
 * J.F. Petrie (acclaimed)


 * Deputy Reeve
 * Ernest Lunnon (acclaimed)

Source: "Top Weston Officials Receive Acclamation", The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]20 Nov 1952: 5.

York Township
(Election held on December 8)
 * Reeve
 * Frederick W. Hall - 10,288
 * Charles McMaster - 5,178

Source: