May Birchard (died July 30, 1968) was a municipal politician and poverty activist in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Canada. Born in Toronto, she married F.J. Birchard, an agricultural scientist who was an expert on grain. During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

the family moved to

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, Manitoba. A self described left-wing Liberal, May Birchard was a strong believer in the Canadian

Social Gospel The Social Gospel is a social movement within Protestantism that aims to apply Christian ethics to social problems, especially issues of social justice such as economic inequality, poverty, alcoholism, crime, racial tensions, slums, unclean en ...

movement that originated in Winnipeg during the first part of the 20th century. In 1933, during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, Birchard founded The Good Neighbours' Club to aid unemployed men. A few years later a branch was opened in Toronto. The organization continues to operate with a drop-in centre on Jarvis Street. After the death of her husband in 1940, Birchard moved back to Toronto and became active in local politics. She first served as a school board trustee in 1942. At the height of the war, she pushed for daycare for the children of women helping with the war effort for free meals for impoverished children. She was first elected to Toronto City Council in

1946 1946 (Roman numerals, MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1946th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 946th year of the 2nd millennium, the 46th year of the 20th centur ...

but was defeated in 1947. She was defeated several more times before again being elected in the 1956 election. She was reelected in

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...

but defeated in

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

. She returned again in

1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...

but was defeated in her final election in

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

. She represented Ward 2 which was a mixed area west of the Don River. The northern part of the riding was Rosedale, the wealthiest part of the city. The southern part was Cabbagetown, the poorest part of the city. Birchard's had much support in Cabbagetown, but she was vulnerable to candidates who could win the backing of Rosedale. Thus Birchard's career was marked by alternating victories and defeats on council campaigns. On the council she pushed for women's rights, most notably on improving access to

birth control Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...

. She was also an advocate for the poor and for more social housing, including strong support for the

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 ...

project that was built in her ward in the era. In honour of her efforts a

Toronto Community Housing Corporation Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) is a public housing agency in Toronto, Toronto, Ontario. It is the largest social housing provider in Canada with over 58,000 units across 2,100 buildings and approximately 105,000 residents. It is the ...

building at Dundas and Broadview was named the May Birchard Apartments.

References

* "Friend of the Homeless May Birchard Dies at 84", ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...

'', July 31, 1968, page 40 Toronto city councillors Women municipal councillors in Ontario 1968 deaths Year of birth missing 20th-century Canadian municipal councillors 20th-century Canadian women politicians {{Canada-activist-stub