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 anch ...

, Ontario, Canada, the five other boroughs, and the government of

Metro Toronto 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. 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 Cons ...

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 Controlled-access highway, expressway and arterial road in Toronto. It starts as a controlled-access expressway at Eglinton Avenue, Eg ...

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 su ...

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,

, and

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 ...

. 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 pa ...

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

- 58,362 : David Rotenberg - 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 - 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, Joseph Piccininni,

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 ...

, and Thomas Clifford. The reform faction won five new seats, giving them an overall majority on council. ;Ward 1 ( Swansea 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 (reform) - 10,312 : William Boytchuk (incumbent) - 9,229 : Ben Grys (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 (incumbent, reform) - 5,156 : Ed Negridge - 3,222 : Ken Dear - 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 and Corso Italia) : Michael Goldrick (reform) - 4,967 : Joseph Piccininni (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 and

Little Italy Little Italy is a general name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Italians or people of Italian ancestry, usually in an urban neighborhood. The concept of "Little Italy" holds many different aspects of the Italian culture. There are ...

) :

Art Eggleton Arthur C. Eggleton (born September 29, 1943) is a retired Canadian politician who served as the 59th and longest-serving mayor of Toronto from 1980 to 1991. He was elected to Parliament in 1993, running as a Liberal in York Centre and served a ...

(incumbent) - 3,034 :

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 ...

- 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 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 ...

and Yorkville) : Ying Hope (incumbent, reform) - 12,872 :

Colin Vaughan Colin Vaughan (30 June 1931 – 1 January 2000) was an Australian-born Canadian television journalist, architect, urban activist and alderman serving the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was best known as the political specialist for the ...

(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 The Financial District is the central business district of Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was originally planned as New Town in 1796 as an extension of the Town of York (later the St. Lawrence Ward). It is the main financial district in Tor ...

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

) :

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 ...

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 John Sewell (born December 8, 1940) is a Canadian politician and lawyer who served as the 58th mayor of Toronto from 1978 to 1980. Background Born and raised in the Beach neighbourhood, in Toronto, Sewell attended Malvern Collegiate Institut ...

(incumbent, reform) - 9,952 :Richard Kirkup - 4,969 :Samuel Rotenberg - 3,212 :Karl Van Harten - 448 :Charles Rolfe - 422 ;Ward 8 ( Riverdale) :

(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 (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 ...

) :

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 (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 John Ross Taylor (1913 – November 6, 1994) was a Canadian fascist political activist and party leader prominent in white nationalist circles. Early life and family Born into a well-known Toronto, Ontario family, the son of lawyer Oscar Taylor ...

- 323

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

* Willis Blair - 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

Mayor

Mel Lastman Melvin Douglas Lastman (March 9, 1933 – December 11, 2021) was a Canadian businessman and politician who served as the third mayor of North York from 1973 to 1997 and 62nd mayor of Toronto from 1998 to 2003. He was the first person to serve ...

- 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 - 60,421 *John Williams - 33,843 *Alex McGivern - 30,713 * Barbara Greene - 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: Paul Godfrey 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. Barbara Greene 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, su ...

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 34,030 *(incumbent) Ken Morrish 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

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 mean solar tim ...

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