Municipal elections were held in

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 anch ...

, Ontario, Canada, on December 5, 1966. The elections were the first in Toronto after its merger with several smaller suburban communities on January 1, 1967. Forest Hill and Swansea were annexed by the City of Toronto,

Leaside Leaside (/'liːˌsaɪd/) is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located northeast of Downtown Toronto, in the vicinity of Eglinton Avenue East and Bayview Avenue. The area takes its name from William Lea and the Lea family, who set ...

was merged with the Township of

East York East York is a former administrative district and municipality within Toronto, Ontario, Canada. From 1967 to 1998, it was officially the Borough of East York, a semi-autonomous borough within the upper-tier municipality of Metropolitan Toron ...

to become the Borough of East York.

Weston Weston may refer to: Places Australia * Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Weston, New South Wales * Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra * Weston Park, Canberra, a park Canada * Weston, Nova Scotia * ...

was combined with the Township of

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 ...

to form the Borough of York. The Village of Long Branch and the towns of

Mimico Mimico is a neighbourhood (and a former municipality) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, being located in the south-west area of Toronto on Lake Ontario. It is in the south-east corner of the former Township (and later, City) of Etobicoke, and was an in ...

and

New Toronto New Toronto is a neighbourhood and former municipality in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the south-west area of Toronto, along Lake Ontario. The Town of New Toronto was established in 1890, and was designed and planned as an indust ...

were merged with the Township of Etobicoke to form the Borough of Etobicoke. Rules were also changed to have municipal elections scheduled every three years, rather than every two as had been done previously.

Toronto mayoral race

Incumbent mayor

Philip Givens Philip Gerald Givens, (April 24, 1922 – November 30, 1995) was a Canadian politician and judge. He was the Mayor of Toronto, a Member of Parliament (MP) and Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP). He was born and raised in Toronto and at ...

was challenged by two strong opponents. Givens was associated with the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

while Controller

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 ...

was a Progressive Conservative. The winner was William Dennison, a former Co-operative Commonwealth Federation Member of Provincial Parliament who was a longtime member of the New Democratic Party. Dennison, despite his labour roots was considered the most conservative of the three candidates. His slogan was "Respect for the Taypayer's Dollar". Archer was the more centrist candidate, and had the endorsement of city councillors Charles Caccia, Kenneth Dear, and

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 ...

. Central issues during the election was the extension of the

Yonge subway Yonge is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Charles Duke Yonge (1812–1891), English historian and translator of Philo of Alexandria * Charles Maurice Yonge (1899–1986), British marine biologist * Charlotte Mary Yonge (1823� ...

line north of Eglinton and whether it should run on a cheaper above-ground route or should built underground so as not to demolish homes. Perhaps the most important issue was Givens' advocacy for Henry Moore's controversial sculpture ''The Archer'' for

Nathan Phillips Square Nathan Phillips Square is an urban plaza in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It forms the forecourt to Toronto City Hall, or ''New City Hall'', at the intersection of Queen Street West and Bay Street, and is named for Nathan Phillips, mayor of Tor ...

also remained an issue. Originally the city had agreed to pay $100,000 for the modernist sculpture, but city council rejected the idea. Instead Givens succeeded in raising the $100,000 from private donors and had the sculpture placed in the square in front of city hall. Dennison strongly objected to having the piece of art in such a prominent venue. In the final vote, the city was divided along ethnic and class lines. Givens dominated the downtown core winning the votes of the young and the cultured. He also won the heavily Jewish neighbourhood of Forest Hill. Archer carried the wealthy Anglo-Saxon areas of 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 ...

. Dennison was victorious by winning the working class districts in both the east and west end of the city, including strong votes from Italian and Polish areas. ;Results : William Dennison - 59,363 :

(incumbent) - 54,525 :

40,946 :John Sara - 1,239

City council and Board of Control

The 1966 election was the last in Toronto for the Board of Control. It consisted of four members elected at large from across the city who then formed the executive on city council. The Board candidate with the most votes became council president and budget chief. Two sitting controllers, Dennison and Archer, opted to run for mayor. This resulted in a competitive race of six major candidates for the four spots. Those in the running were three city councillors:

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 ...

, Joseph Piccininni, and Herbert Orliffe; sitting controller

Margaret Campbell Margaret Campbell (April 24, 1883 – June 27, 1939) was an American character actress in silent films. In her later years she was the secretary of the Baháʼí Spiritual Assembly of Los Angeles. Career Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Campbel ...

; former mayor

Allan Lamport Allan Austin Lamport, (April 4, 1903 – November 18, 1999) was mayor of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, from 1951 to 1954. Known as "Lampy", his most notable achievement was his opposition to Toronto's Blue laws which banned virtually any activ ...

; and Liberal MPP

George Ben George Ben (September 5, 1925 – December 17, 1978) was an Ontario lawyer and political figure. He represented Bracondale and then Humber in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1965 as a Liberal member until his defeat in the 1971 provi ...

Board of Control

The

Toronto Board of Control 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. When it was initially created in 1896 by mandate of the provin ...

was made up of the Mayor and four Controllers elected at large. The Mayor and the top two Controllers, in terms of votes received at the election, also sit on

Metropolitan Toronto Council The Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto was an upper-tier level of municipal government in Ontario, Canada, from 1953 to 1998. It was made up of the old city of Toronto and numerous townships, towns and villages that surrounded Toronto, whic ...

as well as Metro's Executive Committee."Etobicoke adds new mayor's face to Metro Council: Metro Council will be more alert to public opinion", Baker, Alden. ''The Globe and Mail'' (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. oronto, Ont6 Dec 1966: 37. ;Results :

(incumbent) - 88,036 :

- 77,655 : Herbert Orliffe (incumbent) - 76,412 :

- 67,677 :

- 63,206 : Joseph Piccininni - 58,122 :Phyllis Clarke - 10,162 :Arthur Young - 9,550 :John Charles Ewing - 6,071 :Dorothy Cureatz - 4,262 :Shaba Musa - 2,399

Aldermen

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. ;Ward 1 ( Riverdale) :

Fred Beavis Frederick J. Beavis (October 8, 1914 – July 11, 1997) was a longtime city councillor in Toronto, Ontario, who briefly served as interim mayor of the city in 1978. Beavis operated the ''Beavis Bros. Roofing Co.'' with his brothers before becomin ...

(incumbent) - 10,038 :

Oscar Sigsworth Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

(incumbent) - 7,129 :Vern Burnett - 2,305 :Edward Cox - 1,708 ;Ward 2 (East Downtown and Rosedale) :

Michael Grayson 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 ...

(incumbent) - 6,426 : Helen Johnston (incumbent) - 6,289 :Harry Pope - 4,168 :Donald Weir - 3,827 :Keith Martin - 3,819 :John Conforzi - 3,122 :Gerald Quirke - 383 ;Ward 3 (West Downtown and Forest Hill) : David Rotenberg (incumbent) - 13,683 : Charles Caccia (incumbent) - 11,720 : Peter Stollery - 4,007 :Isador Milton - 3,382 :Sidney Banks - 3,154 :James Sanderson - 1,064 ;Ward 4 (

The Annex The Annex is a neighbourhood in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The traditional boundaries of the neighbourhood are north to Dupont Street, south to Bloor Street, west to Bathurst Street and east to Avenue Road. The City of Toronto recognizes ...

Kensington Market Kensington Market is a distinctive multicultural neighbourhood in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Market is an older neighbourhood and one of the city's most well-known. In November 2006, it was designated a National Historic Site of Canad ...

and Garment District) : Horace Brown (incumbent) - 4,913 : Monte Harris - 4,021 :John Polowko - 1,601 :Elizabeth Catty - 1,565 :William Clarke - 1,472 :Sam Komenar - 928 ;Ward 5 ( Trinity-Bellwoods) :

Tony O'Donohue Anthony "Tony" Edward O'Donohue (March 22, 1933 – February 20, 2022) was a former municipal politician in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Early life Born in The Burren, County Clare, Ireland (then Irish Free State), O'Donohue graduated as a civil eng ...

- 5,920 :

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 ...

(incumbent) - 4,969 :Elio Madonia - 3,675 :Herry Wilk - 2,892 :Pauline Miles - 1,361 :Charles Weir - 931 ;Ward 6 ( Davenport and Parkdale) :

(incumbent) - 6,692 : Kenneth Dear (incumbent) - 5,827 : Archie Chishom - 4,993 :Robert Grossi - 3,168 :John O'Brien - 2,332 :Anne Fritz - 1,046 ;Ward 7 (

High Park High Park is a municipal park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. High Park is a mixed recreational and natural park, with sporting facilities, cultural facilities, educational facilities, gardens, playgrounds and a zoo. One-third of the park remains ...

and Swansea) : Mary Temple (incumbent) - 13,512 : Ben Grys (incumbent) - 10,241 : William Boytchuk - 5,876 :John McRae - 1,891 ;Ward 8 (

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 ...

) : Tom Wardle Sr. (incumbent) - 13,512 : Alice Summerville (incumbent) - 12,212 :

Alex Hodgins Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis. People Multiple * Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Gordon (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Harris (disambiguation), multiple ...

- 7,370 :Edward Gillen - 874 :John Square - 613 ;Ward 9 (

) : Paul Pickett (incumbent) - 19,035 : Richard Horkins - 16,241 :Jules Pelletier - 6,513 :Michael Comar - 1,771 Results are taken from the December 6, 1966 ''Toronto Star'' and might not exactly match final tallies.

Changes

Controller Herbert Orliffe died on July 3, 1967. Ward 1 Alderman

was appointed Controller July 6;

was appointed Metro councilor and Joseph Piccininni was appointed Alderman. Ward 3 Alderman Charles Caccia resigned June 1969 having been elected in the 1968 Federal Election and was not replaced. Ward 9 Alderman Richard Horkins resigned on November 1, 1969 upon appointment as a

Toronto Hydro Toronto Hydro Corporation is an electric utility that operates the electricity distribution system for the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. As of 2018, it serves approximately 772,000 customers and delivers approximately 19% of the electricity ...

Commissioner and was not replaced.

Metropolitan Toronto reorganization and mergers

From its inception in 1953 until the 1966 election,

consisted of the Mayor of Toronto, two controllers (the top two of four in terms of votes) and one mayor or reeve from each suburban municipality in the federation: the towns of New Toronto, Mimico, Weston and Leaside; the villages of Long Branch, Swansea and Forest Hill and the townships of Etobicoke, York, North York, East York, and Scarborough, and presided over by the Metro Chairman who did not have a seat. With the 1966 election, Long Branch, New Toronto, and Mimico were absorbed by Etobicoke; Weston was absorbed into York; Leaside into East York; and Swansea and Forest Hill, into Toronto. The reorganized Metropolitan Toronto was made up of six constituent municipalities: the City of Toronto and five

boroughs A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle A ...

: Etobicoke, Scarborough, North York, East York, and York. Concurrently, representation on Metropolitan Toronto Council also changed and the body was expanded from 22 to 32 seats, with greater representation from the suburbs which now had 20 out of 32 seats on the body - up from 11 out of 22 with seats roughly allocated according to population. The distribution of seats was as follows. Toronto (12), North York (6), Scarborough (5), Etobicoke (4), York (3), East York (2). The new Metro Council was made up of the mayor of Toronto, two of the four members of the Toronto Board of Control, senior aldermen from the nine wards of the City of Toronto, the mayor of Scarborough and the four members of Scarborough's Board of Control, the mayor of Etobicoke and three of the four members of Etobicoke's Board of Control (the top three in terms of votes), the mayor of York and its two Controllers, the mayor of East York and one alderman, selected by East York council, the mayor of North York, all four members of North York's Board of Control, and one alderman selected by North York's council.

Suburbs

East York East York is a former administrative district and municipality within Toronto, Ontario, Canada. From 1967 to 1998, it was officially the Borough of East York, a semi-autonomous borough within the upper-tier municipality of Metropolitan Toron ...

;Mayor :(incumbent)

True Davidson Jean Gertrude "True" Davidson, CM (19 April 1901 – 18 September 1978), was a Canadian politician, teacher, and writer. She was the first mayor of the Borough of East York, Ontario, and she was one of Metropolitan Toronto's most colourful polit ...

12,312 :Royden Brigham 8,112 : Beth Nealson 7,957 Davidson defeated Brigham and

Mayor Nealson who was running against Davison due to Leaside being amalgamrated into the new

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle A ...

of East York, in what was billed by the media as the "Battle of the Belles".Beth Nealson, 83 last mayor. (source: ''Globe and Mail'', page 8, 6 Dec 1966)

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 : Edward Austin Horton 21,591 :Murray Johnson 17,566 :Thomas Berry 10,899 ;Board of Control (4 elected) :Donald Russell 26,540 :David Lacey 24,458 :(incumbent)John Carroll 24,138 :W. Kenneth Robinson 21,367 :George Bondy 20,528 :Lloyd Shier 20,091 :Hugh Griggs 18,366 (source: ''Globe and Mail'', page 8, 6 Dec 1966)

North York

James Ditson Service, the last reeve of North York becomes its first mayor. Paul Godfrey and Robert Yuill were re-elected as ward alderman. ;Mayor :(incumbent) James Ditson Service - 53,131 (82.8%) :Sam Wagman - 11,037 (17.2%) ;Board of Control (4 elected) :(incumbent) G. Gordon Hurlburt - 42,060 :(incumbent) Basil H. Hall - 38,670 :(incumbent)Frank Watson - 35,826 :Paul Hunt - 35,446 :(incumbent)Irv Paisley - 35,080 :Fishleigh - 14,024

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, su ...

;Mayor : Albert Campbell 38,517 (76.2%) :Douglas Goddard 12,070 (23.8%) Campbell, the outgoing reeve, is elected the first mayor of Scarborough. ;Board of Control (4 elected) : Robert W. White 34,886 : Gus Harris 28,543 :Brian Harrison 28,143 :Karl Mallette 25,051 : Oliver E. Crockford 21,869 :George Barker 18,835 Scarborough elected its inaugural Board of Control. Reference: "For Ab Campbell, it was probably the last hurrah", ''Toronto Daily Star'' (page 13), December 6, 1966,

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)Jack Mould 17,744 :Albert Stollard 5,956 :Charles J. McMaster 2,241 ;Board of Control (2 elected) : Philip White 13,749 :C. Wesley Boddington 11,826 :Florence Gell 7,544 :Charles Goodfellow 7,324 :John George Tames 2,694 This was York's inaugural Board of Control (source: ''Globe and Mail'', page 8, 6 Dec 1966)

References

*Election Coverage. ''Toronto Star''. December 6, 1966 {{Toronto elections 1966 elections in Canada 1966 1966 in Toronto