The 1972 Toronto municipal election was held December 4, 1972, to elect the governments of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Ontario, Canada, the five other boroughs, and the government of Metro Toronto as well. The election was overshadowed by the 1972 federal election held October 30 and the American elections held November 7, but it resulted in a dramatic change in the city government. Four new mayors were elected, and 17 of 32 Metro seats were held by newcomers. In the City of Toronto, control of city council was won by the reform faction and reform leader

David Crombie David Edward Crombie (born April 24, 1936) is a Canadian former academic and politician who served as the 56th mayor of Toronto from 1972 to 1978. Crombie was elected to Parliament following his tenure as mayor. A member of the Progressive Conse ...

was elected mayor. As in the 1969 election many of the central debates were over proposed megaprojects. The

Spadina Expressway William R. Allen Road, also known as Allen Road, the Allen Expressway and colloquially as the Allen, is a short expressway and arterial road in Toronto. It starts as a controlled-access expressway at Eglinton Avenue West, heading north to just ...

had been halted in 1971, but some wanted it built. The debate over the

Scarborough Expressway The cancelled expressways in Toronto were a planned series of expressways in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that were only partially built or cancelled due to public opposition. The system of expressways was intended to spur or handle growth in the sub ...

was also one of the central issues in the east end. An IBM 370-155 was used by the Star to process the results.

Toronto

Mayoral election

Incumbent mayor William Dennison chose not to turn for reelection. The three main candidates vying to replace him were city councillors

David Rotenberg David Rotenberg (July 24, 1930 - January 13, 2022) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1977 to 1985 as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party, and was briefly a cabinet min ...

, and Tony O'Donohue. O'Donohue and Rotenberg were veteran councillors. Rotenberg had been on council ten years and had served as Deputy Mayor. He also won the endorsement of the ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

''. Crombie had been elected to city council only three years earlier, previously serving as a professor at

Ryerson Polytechnic Institute Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public university, public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Garden District, although i ...

. He was a moderate member of the reform faction on council, willing to compromise with the Old Guard. A fourth notable candidate was ''

Toronto Sun The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid format, tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices is located at Pos ...

'' columnist

Paul Rimstead Paul Rimstead (1935 – 26 May 1987), born Andrew Paul Rimstad in Sudbury, Ontario, was a featured page 5 columnist for the Toronto Sun and sports writer. Life and career Born in Sudbury, Ontario, the "Rimmer" was described by peers as "legendary ...

, who ran a semi-serious campaign based on law and order policies. Crombie dominated the affluent midtown and North Toronto wards, and also carried the east end of the city. O'Donohue won the heavily ethnic, working class wards of the west end. ;Results :

- 82,754 : Tony O'Donohue - 58,362 :

- 35,213 :

- 7,934 :

Don Andrews Donald Clarke Andrews (born April 20, 1942 as Vilim Zlomislić) is a Canadian white supremacist. He is also the leader of the unregistered neo-Nazi Nationalist Party of Canada and a perennial candidate for mayor of Toronto, Ontario. Early yea ...

- 1,960 :Jacquie Henderson - 1,598 :

Nelson Clarke Nelson Clarke (1914 – 1982) was a Canadian politician. Clarke was born in Regina, Saskatchewan in 1914.Federation of Metro Tenants' Associations. Nelson Clarke Memorial - 1982' Clarke studied at the University of Saskatchewan. During his student ...

- 1,549

City council

Two aldermen were elected per Ward. The alderman with the most votes was declared Senior Alderman and sat on both Toronto City Council and Metro Council. The council elected in 1969 was split into two factions. The dominant group, commonly referred to as the 'Old Guard,' were 12 councillors who generally sided with developers and supported plans for urban renewal and new expressways. The opposition faction was made up of seven members who supported the reform movement. The reformers won a clear victory. Only four Old Guard aldermen were reelected:

William Boytchuk William Boytchuk (April 27, 1922 – January 22, 1998) was a longtime city councillor in Toronto, Ontario. He was born near Sniatyn, Poland and after spending several years in Germany immigrated to Canada in 1948. Working as a pharmacist he be ...

Joseph Piccininni Joseph J. Piccininni (born ''Guiseppe Piccininni'', January 15, 1922 – September 16, 1995) was a long-serving city councillor in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He represented the Corso Italia area on city council for 25 years. Background Born in Tor ...

, Fred Beavis, and Thomas Clifford. The reform faction won five new seats, giving them an overall majority on council. ;Ward 1 (

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

and

Bloor West Village Bloor West Village is a family-friendly residential neighbourhood and vibrant shopping district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Bordered on the south by Bloor Street, it encompasses all businesses along Bloor Street between South Kingsway and Ellis P ...

) :

Elizabeth Eayrs Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sc ...

(reform) - 10,312 :

(incumbent) - 9,229 :

Ben Grys Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett or Benson, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben (in he, בֶּן, ''son of'') forms part of Hebrew surnames, e.g. Abraham ben Abraham ( h ...

(incumbent) - 4,618 :Carl Glutsczak - 3,416 :Slough Bolton - 2,377 :Ed Homonylo - 1,046 :Yvette Tessier - 627 :Andrejs Murniecks - 370 ;Ward 2 ( Parkdale and Brockton) :

Archie Chisholm Archie is a masculine given name, a diminutive of Archibald. It may refer to: People Given name or nickname * Archie Alexander (1888–1958), African-American mathematician, engineer and governor of the US Virgin Islands * Archie Blake (mathemati ...

(incumbent, reform) - 5,156 :

Ed Negridge Ed, ed or ED may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Ed'' (film), a 1996 film starring Matt LeBlanc * Ed (''Fullmetal Alchemist'') or Edward Elric, a character in ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' media * ''Ed'' (TV series), a TV series that ran fro ...

- 3,222 :

Ken Dear Ken or KEN may refer to: Entertainment * ''Ken'' (album), a 2017 album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer. * ''Ken'' (film), 1964 Japanese film. * ''Ken'' (magazine), a large-format political magazine. * Ken Masters, a main character in t ...

- 2,938 :Dave May - 2,316 :Robert Grossi - 1,992 :Anne Fritz - 1,693 :Helen Johnson - 1,319 :Michael Hookway - 1,202 :Stanley Steban - 839 :John Stifel - 602 :Jack Prins - 203 ;Ward 3 (

Davenport Davenport may refer to: Places Australia *Davenport, Northern Territory, a locality * Hundred of Davenport, cadastral unit in South Australia **Davenport, South Australia, suburb of Port Augusta **District Council of Davenport, former local govern ...

and Corso Italia) :

Michael Goldrick Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

(reform) - 4,967 :

(incumbent) - 4,439 :

Hugh Bruce Hugh Glenrinnes Bruce (26 January 1919 – 9 January 2003) was a prisoner of war in Colditz Castle and later commanding officer of the Special Boat Service. Early life Hugh Glenrinnes Bruce was born at Mhow in India, where his father was serving ...

(incumbent) - 3,800 :Joe Garisto - 2,213 :Tim Burke - 978 ;Ward 4 (

Trinity-Bellwoods Trinity-Bellwoods is an inner city neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is bounded on the east by Bathurst Street, on the north by College Street, on the south by Queen Street West, and by Dovercourt Road on the west. It has a large Por ...

and Little Italy) : Art Eggleton (incumbent) - 3,034 : George Ben - 3,023 :Margot Andras (reform) - 2,439 :Frank Lacka - 1,587 :

Harold Menzies Harold may refer to: People * Harold (given name), including a list of persons and fictional characters with the name * Harold (surname), surname in the English language * András Arató, known in meme culture as "Hide the Pain Harold" Arts a ...

- 1,593 :John Conforzi - 1,563 :Mary Fraser - 1,054 :Richard Follert - 319 :Robert Fairley - 207 :Darrell Furlotte - 163 ;Ward 5 ( The Annex and Yorkville) :

Ying Hope Ying L.K. Hope Professional Engineer, P. Eng. (1923 – November 12, 2007) was a Chinese Canadian politician, Toronto District School Board, Toronto Public School Board trustee and Metro Toronto Councillor and Toronto Alderman. Hope's grandparent ...

(incumbent, reform) - 12,872 : Colin Vaughan (reform) - 11,585 :Erna Kauffman - 2,685 :David Astle - 1,469 :David Boyd - 933 :Manfred Schulzke - 698 :Melania Gural - 561 :Wilson Greig - 437 ;Ward 6 ( Financial District, Toronto -

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

) :

William Archer William or Bill Archer may refer to: * William Archer (British politician) (1677–1739), British politician * William S. Archer (1789–1855), U.S. Senator and Representative from Virginia * William Beatty Archer (1793–1870), Illinois politician ...

(incumbent) - 7,395 : Dan Heap (reform) - 7,153 :

June Marks (Florence) June Marks, née Pacey (1923–2008) was a Toronto community activist and politician. She first ran for city council in 1962 in Ward 2 but was defeated. She was elected on her second attempt in 1964 and, in 1966, won citywide election t ...

(incumbent) - 6,396 : Horace Brown (incumbent) - 2,928 :Arthur Downes - 2,127 ;Ward 7 (

Regent Park Regent Park is a neighbourhood located in downtown Toronto, Ontario built in the late 1940s as a public housing project managed by Toronto Community Housing. It sits on what used to be a significant part of the Cabbagetown neighbourhood and i ...

and Riverdale) :

Karl Jaffary Karl Jaffary (born 1936) is a Canadian former municipal politician in Toronto, Ontario. Jaffary was born in New Orleans and moved to Toronto with his family in 1940. He went to school in Toronto and attended North Toronto Collegiate Institute and ...

(incumbent, reform) - 10,572 : John Sewell (incumbent, reform) - 9,952 :Richard Kirkup - 4,969 :Samuel Rotenberg - 3,212 :Karl Van Harten - 448 :Charles Rolfe - 422 ;Ward 8 ( Riverdale) : Fred Beavis (incumbent) - 7,253 : Thomas Clifford (incumbent) - 6,794 :Dallard Runge (reform) - 5,724 :Ellie Kirzner - 595 :Christopher Greenland - 542 ;Ward 9 (

The Beaches The Beaches (also known as "The Beach") is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is so named because of its four beaches situated on Lake Ontario. It is located east of downtown within the "Old" City of Toronto. The approximate boundar ...

) :

Reid Scott Reid Scott (October 23, 1926 – March 2, 2016) was a lawyer and provincial judge in Canada, and a New Democratic Party of Member of Parliament for the Danforth electoral district, in Toronto, from 1962 to 1968, leaving federal politics when h ...

(reform, incumbent) - 10,432 : Dorothy Thomas (reform) - 5,643 :Joe McNulty - 4,479 :Jim Purdie - 4,199 : Tom Wardle Jr. - 4,004 :John Oliver - 2,100 :Don Ray - 797 :George Leslie - 318 :John Square - 115 ;Ward 10 ( Rosedale and

North Toronto North Toronto is a former town and informal district located in the northern part of the Old Toronto district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Currently occupying a geographically central location within the city of Toronto, the Town of North Toronto w ...

) :

William Kilbourn William Morley Kilbourn, Order of Canada, CM, Royal Society of Canada, FRSC (1926–1995) was a Canadian author and historian in Toronto, Ontario. Kilbourn's topics cover history, biography, religion and the arts, with a focus on Toronto; he ...

(incumbent, reform) - 20,099 :

Paul Pickett Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...

(incumbent) - 14,023 :Juanne Hemsol (reform) - 9,578 :Margaret Bryce - 2,641 :Art Keay - 1,449 ;Ward 11 ( Forest Hill and

) :

Anne Johnston Anne Johnston (1932 – June 26, 2019) was a Canadian politician and community activist. She was a longtime city councillor in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She was first elected to Toronto City Council in 1972, and served until 1985 when she ran ag ...

(reform) - 14,325 : David Smith - 11,297 : Larry Grossman - 9,127 :Jim Mills - 8,035 :William McKay - 1,399 :Morris Kestin - 1,334 :Alan Morrison - 1,329 :Richard Sommers - 818 :Sydney Zaidi - 605 :Alan Manington - 551 :John Houseman - 435 : John Ross Taylor - 323

East York

Mayor

Willis Blair Willis Lincoln Blair (May 14, 1923 – April 5, 2014) was a Canadian politician and public servant who was mayor of the Metropolitan Toronto municipality of East York, Ontario from 1973 to 1976 and chairman of the Liquor Licensing Board of Ontario ...

- 15,196 (57%) *Royden Brigham - 11,458 (43%) (Source: ''Toronto Star'', pg 12, December 5, 1972)

Etobicoke Etobicoke (, ) is an administrative district of, and one of six municipalities amalgamated into, the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the city's west-end, Etobicoke was first settled by Europeans in the 1790s, and the municipalit ...

Mayor

Dennis Flynn Christopher Dennis Flynn (according to Irish Civic Birth Registration, his name was Denis Christopher O'Flynn at birth) O.Ont, (December 17, 1923 – August 19, 2003) was Chairman of Metropolitan Toronto from 1984 to 1988. Flynn rarely used ...

- 28,126 (54.9%) *David Lacey - 21,634 (42.2%) *Reg Sammons - 1,484 (2.9%) (582 out of 610 polls)

Etobicoke Board of Control (4 elected)

*Bill Stockwell - 29,259 * Bruce Sinclair - 27,762 *E. H. Farrow - 22,616 *(incumbent)John Allen - 21,312 *(incumbent)John Carroll - 19,868 *Hugh MacGregor Griggs 16,705 *MacDonald 15,015 (582 out of 610 polls) (Source: "How the voting went throughout Etobicoke", ''Toronto Star'', pg 13, December 5, 1972)

North York North York is one of the six administrative districts of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located directly north of York, Old Toronto and East York, between Etobicoke to the west and Scarborough to the east. As of the 2016 Census, it had a popu ...

Mayor

* Mel Lastman - 48,328 *Paul Hunt - 36,380 *Andrew Fram - 2,536 *Rik Peletz - 1,264 (1033 out of 1075 polls) Lastman is elected mayor for the first time and serves until 1997.

North York Board of Control (4 elected)

Paul Godfrey Paul Victor Godfrey, CM, OOnt (born January 1939) is a businessman and former Canadian politician. During his career, Godfrey was a North York alderman, Chairman of Metro Toronto, President of the ''Toronto Sun'' and head of the Toronto Blue ...

- 60,421 *John Williams - 33,843 *Alex McGivern - 30,713 *

Barbara Greene Barbara Greene (born 1 September 1945) is a former Canadians, Canadian politician. She served in the House of Commons of Canada from 1988 to 1993 as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, Progressive Conservative Party. She ...

- 28,852 *Syd Moscoe - 23,129 *Joseph Gould - 20,075 *Ruby Richman - 17,861 *Joseph Morra - 14,596 *Sam Sherman - 10,784 *Malcolm Cairnduff - 6,291 *Ronald Premier - 4,329 Source:

was appointed to the Board of Control by North York Council in 1970, following the death of Controller John Booth.Godfrey captures vacant seat on North York Board of Control The Globe and Mail (1936-Current); Sep 26, 1970; ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Globe and Mail pg. 5 He was returned to the Board of Control in 1972, his first time being elected to the body. In 1973, he resigned to become

Metro Chairman The Chairman of the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto or Metro Chairman was the Regional Chair (Ontario), regional chair of Metropolitan Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the most senior political figure in the municipality. The Metro Chairman wa ...

is elected in an upset victory after running to protest a by-law which made it illegal for unrelated roommates to share a house or apartment if the neighbourhood was zoned for single family dwellings. She is not only the first woman ever elected to North York's Board of Control but she and her roommate, Kate Hayhurst who ran for alderman and Betty Sutherland who was also elected as an alderman in 1972 are the first three women ever elected to North York council

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...

Mayor

Paul Cosgrove Paul James Cosgrove, (born December 30, 1934), is a former Canadian jurist as well as a former politician. Cosgrove is, as of , the last surviving mayor of the former city of Scarborough. Political career A lawyer by profession, Cosgrove ente ...

- 33,488 (63.2%) *(incumbent) Robert W. White - 14,086 (28.6%) *Francis O'Donnell - 5,423 (10.2%) (735 of 855 polls)

Board of Control (4 elected)

*(incumbent)

Gus Harris Augustus Vincent Patrick Harris (July 1908 – February 20, 2000) was a Canadian politician. He was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England. He was the mayor of Scarborough, Ontario from 1978 to 1988. Although he was a relatively conservative, ...

34,030 *(incumbent)

Ken Morrish Ken Morrish (1919 – July 30, 2006), nicknamed "Mr. Highland Creek" was a Metro Toronto politician. He served the Scarborough, Ontario community as councillor, deputy Metro Toronto Chair and mayor of Scarborough. He is a descendant of the Mor ...

31,949 *(incumbent)Brian Harrison 28,324 *(incumbent)Karl Mallette 24,053 *John Wimbs 20,222 *Tom Rowland 14,705 *John Nowotny 7,714 *William T. Phipps 6,594 (735 of 855 polls)

Borough Council

* Ward 7

Ed Fulton Edward A. "Ed" Fulton (born March 19, 1938), is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1985 to 1990 who represented the eastern Toronto riding of Scarborough East. He served ...

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

Mayor

*(incumbent) Phillip White (acclaimed) (Source: ''Toronto Star'', page 12, December 5, 1972)

Board of Control (2 elected)

*(incumbent)Douglas Saunders - 15,899 *(incumbent)James Trimbee - 14,054 *Rose Gallic - 5,163 (Source: ''Toronto Star'', page 12, December 5, 1972; "The Star's suggestions for Monday's elections", ''Toronto Star'', December 2, 1972, page 20)

References

{{Toronto elections

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

1972 elections in Canada 1972 in Toronto December 1972 events in Canada