January 1936 Toronto municipal election

Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on January 1, 1936. Sam McBride was elected mayor in a three-way race in which incumbent James Simpson finished third.

Toronto mayor

Sitting controller and former mayor McBride was elected mayor. defeating incumbent James Simpson. Simpson had been elected mayor the year previously. He was the first Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) member and first socialist elected mayor of the city. The CCF was still a minority in "Tory Toronto" and Simpson's anti-Catholic sentiments also hurt him with the electorate. Former alderman Harry W. Hunt, who had also placed second to Simpson in 1935, finished second again although he had the endorsement of the three conservative newspapers: The Globe, The Mail, and the Telegram. The Star endorsed McBride after having endorsed Simpson the previous election.

Results: Sam McBride - 48,723; Harry W. Hunt - 43,036; James Simpson (incumbent) - 32,636

Board of Control

There was only a single change on the Board of Control: former controller J. George Ramsden returned to the Board filling the space vacated by McBride.

Results: Ralph Day (incumbent) - 68,335; William J. Wadsworth (incumbent) - 62,838; J. George Ramsden - 52,170; William D. Robbins (incumbent) - 51,465; Joseph Elijah Thompson - 31,546; Benjamin Miller - 30,613; Tim Buck - 20,873; Harry Bradley - 4,986

City council

Ward 1 (Riverdale): W.A. Summerville (incumbent) - 9,673; Frank M. Johnston (incumbent) - 9,335; Harry Bell - 2,630

Ward 2 (Cabbagetown and Rosedale): Adelaide Plumptre - 4,203; John R. Beamish (incumbent) - 4,114; Allan Lamport - 2,942; William Dennison - 1,992; Percy Bishop - 1882; George Lewis - 713; Thomas James - 412; Lewis Jones - 171

Ward 3 (Central Business District): John Laidlaw (incumbent) - 3,795; John S. Simmons (incumbent) - 3,713; Albert Gardner - 2,675

Ward 4 (Kensington Market and Garment District): Robert Hood Saunders (incumbent) - 4,941; Nathan Phillips (incumbent) - 4,811; H.M. Goodman - 2,466; J.B. Salsberg - 2,343; Max Federman - 816; S.C. Schiller - 225

Ward 5 (Trinity-Bellwoods): Fred Hamilton (incumbent) - 7,211; Robert Leslie (incumbent) - 5,621; Ward Markle - 3,010; Clifford Blackburn - 2,089; Stewart Smith - 1,967; James Conner - 1,718; Thomas Black - 1,210; Charles Kerr - 1,057; Valentine Burda - 240; L.L. Jarvis - 163

Ward 6 (Davenport and Parkdale): Frederick J. Conboy (incumbent) - 12,885; D.C. MacGregor (incumbent) - 7,526; William Miller - 4,605; William V. Muir - 3,536; Richard Jones - 1,967; Harry Stephenson - 1,661; Bertram Tipping - 1,030; Robert Harding - 373

Ward 7 (West Toronto Junction): George H. Gardiner (incumbent) - 5,125; Frank Whetter (incumbent) - 3,603; Charles Rowntree - 3,206; McMurray - 895; Russell Thompson - 533; Shaw - 296

Ward 8 (The Beaches): Ernest Bray (incumbent) - 9,291; Walter Howell (incumbent) - 8,338; Fred Baker - 7,823; Bert Leavens - 2,508; Philip Hughes - 682

Ward 9 (North Toronto): Douglas McNish (incumbent) - 8,479; William D. Ellis (incumbent) - 8,353; Ross Sheppard - 5,665; Charles Reeves - 1,548; Alfred Burgess - 1,005

Results taken from the January 2, 1936 Toronto Star and might not exactly match final tallies.

Vacancy

Mayor Sam McBride died on November 14, 1936. Controller William D. Robbins who had been serving as Acting Mayor due to McBride's ill health was unanimously appointed Mayor on November 18; the Board of Control vacancy was not filled.

References

Election Coverage. Toronto Star. January 2, 1936