Municipal elections were held in

Toronto 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 ...

, Ontario, Canada, on January 1, 1908. Mayor

Emerson Coatsworth Emerson Coatsworth Jr., King's Counsel, KC (March 9, 1854 – May 11, 1943) was a Canadian lawyer and politician. He was also a member of the Orange Order in Canada. Born in Toronto, Coatsworth was educated at the public schools, and studied p ...

did not run for a third term. Joseph Oliver was elected to his first term as

Mayor of Toronto The mayor of Toronto is the head of Toronto City Council and chief executive officer of the Municipal government of Toronto, municipal government. The mayor is elected alongside city council every four years on the fourth Monday of October; t ...

. Oliver, who was considered a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

, defeated Alderman

George Reginald Geary George Reginald Geary (August 12, 1872 – April 30, 1954) was a Canadian politician. He was a Conservative member of the House of Commons from 1925 to 1935. He also served as Mayor of Toronto from 1910 to 1912. Background Born August 12, ...

and Dr. Beattie Nesbitt who were both Conservative supporters as well as James Simpson, running as a

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

. Geary would go on to serve as mayor from 1910 to 1912 as well as sit as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

Member of Parliament from 1925 to 1935. Simpson would later serve on 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 provi ...

in 1914 and again in the 1930s and would be elected mayor in 1935. A plebiscite was also held which approved the creation of the publicly owned Toronto Hydro-Electric System and public ownership of the

Toronto Suburban Railway The Toronto Suburban Railway was a Canadian electric railway operator with local routes in west Toronto, and a radial (interurban) route to Guelph. History Corporate timeline The Weston, High Park and Toronto Street Railway Company was incor ...

and

Toronto Eastern Railway The Toronto Eastern Railway, or Toronto and Eastern Railway, is a noted "ghost railroad" in southern Ontario, Canada. It was part of William Mackenzie (railway entrepreneur), William Mackenzie's ambitious plan to provide high-speed electric "i ...

, which were both interurban electric streetcar systems.

Toronto mayor

;Results : Joseph Oliver - 14,022 :Alderman

- 7,124 :Dr Beattie Nesbitt - 6,504 : James Simpson - 3,701 :Miles Vokes - 964 Source: "OLIVER IS TORONTO'S MAYOR; NESBITT OVERWHELMED', ''The Globe'', page 1, January 2, 1908 - accessed via ProQuest.

Plebiscite

plebiscite A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a direct vote by the electorate (rather than their representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either binding (resulting in the adoption of a new policy) or adv ...

was held on "the power by-law" in municipalities across the province to create publicly owned municipal hydro-electric utilities in order to access hydro-electric power from

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the Canada–United States border, border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York (s ...

. The Toronto Hydro-Electric System (now

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 ...

) was created as a result. The plebiscite also authorized the city to take into public ownership the

and

, to create a public

interurban The interurban (or radial railway in Canada) is a type of electric railway, with tram-like electric self-propelled railcars which run within and between cities or towns. The term "interurban" is usually used in North America, with other terms u ...

electrical transit system referred to as a "hydro-radial" system. The by-law was approved in Toronto by a vote of 14,078 to 4,483."OLIVER IS TORONTO'S MAYOR; NESBITT OVERWHELMED', ''The Globe'', pages 1 & 3, January 2, 1908

Board of Control

Three incumbent members of the

were re-elected, Controller

William Peyton Hubbard William Peyton Hubbard (January 27, 1842 – April 30, 1935), a Toronto alderman from 1894 to 1914, was a popular and influential politician, nicknamed Cicero for his oratory; he was one of the first politicians of African descent elected to offic ...

was displaced by Frank Spence. : Horatio Clarence Hocken (incumbent) - 16,844 :Frank S. Spence - 11,542 :William Spence Harrison (incumbent) - 10,310 :J.J. Ward (incumbent) - 10,075 :

(incumbent) - 9,203 : John Shaw - 6,385 :Robert Fleming - 5,648 :Oliver B. Sheppard - 5,099 :John Dunn - 4,435 :

John Enoch Thompson Chevalier John Enoch Thompson (1846 – November 29, 1932) was a prominent citizen of Toronto. He was a politician, diplomat, writer, and businessman. Biography He was born in Durham, England in 1846 and moved to Toronto in 1870 with his six oth ...

- 1,294 :James Lindala - 1,220 :Hugh MacMath - 1,013 :Robert Buist Noble - 745 :James O'Hara - 307 :Joel Marvin Briggs - 232 Source: ''The Globe'', page 3, January 2, 1908, and "MANY IN FIGHT FOR MAYORALTY: Seven Candidates Nominated at the City Hall WOULD-BE CONTROLLERS Large Crop of Nominees, Including Present Board Fifteen Men and One Woman in the List for Places on the Board of education-- The Socialists Have a Ticket-- Speeches of the Various Candidates FOR MAYOR", ''The Globe'', 24 Dec 1907: 11.

City council

Three aldermen were elected to

Toronto City Council Toronto City Council is the governing body of the municipal government of Toronto, Ontario. Meeting at Toronto City Hall, it comprises 25 city councillors and the mayor of Toronto. The Toronto City Council 2022–2026, current term began on Nove ...

per ward. There were only two changes from the previous council, Alderman Hales was defeated in Ward 1 by William Temple Stewart and in Ward 3, Mark Bredin filled the seat vacated by Alderman Geary, who unsuccessfully ran for mayor. ;Ward 1 ( Riverdale) :Daniel Chisholm (incumbent) - 2,079 :William Temple Stewart - 1,439 :William J. Saunderson (incumbent) - 1,356 :Edward Hales (incumbent) - 1,292 :Zephaniah Hilton - 995 :William Worrell - 991 :John Coatsworth Graham - 481 :Charles Fletcher Leidy - 360 :Elgin Schoff - 138 ;Ward 2 ( Cabbagetown and Rosedale) : Tommy Church (incumbent) - 2,656 :James Hales (incumbent) - 2,238 : Thomas Foster (incumbent)- 1,921 :William Norton Eastwood - 1,291 :Ewart Farquahar - 864 :William Alexander Douglass - 721 :John Clark - 445 :Josiah Rogers - 199 ;Ward 3 (

Central Business District A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...

and The Ward) : Sam McBride (incumbent)- 2,885 :

John Wilson Bengough John Wilson Bengough (; 7 April 1851 – 2 October 1923) was one of Canada's earliest cartoonists, as well as an editor, publisher, writer, poet, entertainer, and politician. Bengough is best remembered for his Editorial cartoonist, poli ...

(incumbent) - 2,382 :Mark Bredin - 2,148 :Wesley Sandfield Johnston - 998 :Frank W. Johnston - 960 :John Kirk - 771 :William Earngey - 767 :Julius H. Humphrey - 759 :Frederick Hogg - 716 :David Lorsch - 663 :James Phinnemore - 239 ;Ward 4 (Area between Bathurst Street and University Avenue including Spadina) :R.C. Vaughan (incumbent) - 3,492 :George McMurrich (incumbent) - 3,409 :Thomas Alexander Lytle (incumbent) - 3,240 :George Eakins Gibbard - 2,299 ;Ward 5 (

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 P ...

) :Robert Henry Graham (incumbent) - 2,338 :Peter Whytock (incumbent) - 2,152 :Albert James Keeler (incumbent) - 1,375 :James Cooper Claxton - 1,216 :Joseph May - 1,029 :John Aldridge - 1,008 :William Carlyle - 886 :Alexander Stewart - 873 :Thomas Gillies - 699 :Frederick W. Jenkins - 552 :William James King - 355 ;Ward 6 ( Brockton and Parkdale) :James Henry McGhie - 2,498 :John James Graham - 2,164 :J.H. Adams - 1,347 :James Arthur McCausland - 1,332 : Fred McBrien - 1,017 :Walter Mann - 824 :Thomas Hurst - 774 :John Edward Jarrott - 665 :David Ruddick Bell - 594 :Thomas Yates Egan - 546 :George Fairles - 431 :Walter Warrington - 276 :Phillips Thompson - 265 Source: "MANY IN FIELD FOR ALDERMEN: Seventeen Candidates Running in Sixth Ward OLD MEMBERS LINED UP Aldermanic Candidates Favor Power By-law A Number off Them Advocate Purchase of Toronto Electric Ught Company's Plant-- Filtration of Water Favored by Many of Those Seeking Office", ''The Globe'', 4 Dec 1907: 9 and

References

Results taken from the January 2, 1908 ''Toronto Globe'' and might not exactly match final tallies. {{Toronto elections 1908 elections in Canada

1908 This is the longest year in either the Julian or Gregorian calendars, having a duration of 31622401.38 seconds of Terrestrial Time (or ephemeris time), measured according to the definition of mean solar time. Events January * January ...

1908 in Ontario 1900s in Toronto January 1908 in North America