Riverdale (provincial electoral district)

Riverdale
Ontario electoral district

Riverdale, in relation to the other Toronto ridings, after the 1914 redistribution.
Defunct provincial electoral district
Legislature Legislative Assembly of Ontario
District created 1914
District abolished 1996
First contested 1914
Last contested 1995

Riverdale was an Ontario provincial electoral district that existed from 1914 to 1999. It occupied an area east of the Don River from the city limits just north of Danforth Avenue south to Lake Ontario. It was named after the neighbourhood of Riverdale. In 1999 a major reduction in Ontario seats resulted in Riverdale being merged with part of East York into a larger riding called Toronto-Danforth.

The 1964 by-election in this riding is well known for being among the first elections in Canadian history where a party (the NDP) used door to door canvassing and a get out the vote effort.[1]

Boundaries

In 1914 the riding was created out of the Toronto East riding. Its initial borders were Logan Avenue from Ashbridges Bay to the city limits just north of the Danforth. The northern boundary followed the city limits with East York east to Woodbine Avenue. The eastern boundary followed this road south to the lake.[2]

In 1926 five ridings were added to Toronto. Three new ridings were created to the east of Riverdale called Greenwood, Woodbine and Beaches. The borders of Riverdale were altered to accommodate the new ridings. The western boundary was moved west to the Don River and this encompassed parts of the old Toronto Southeast and Toronto Northeast ridings. The eastern boundary was moved to Carlaw Avenue which bordered Greenwood riding.[3]

Prior to the 1934 election, the riding of Greenwood was dissolved and split between Beaches riding to the east and Riverdale to the west. The new western boundary became Jones Avenue from Queen Street East to Danforth Avenue. North of Danforth Avenue the boundary continued along Dewhurst Blvd. and south of Queen Street the boundary continued along Berkshire Avenue and south to the lake.[4]

In 1966 the boundaries on the east and west sides were altered. To the west it was moved east from the banks of the Don River. Instead it started on the south where Carlaw Avenue met Toronto Harbour. It went north along Carlaw to Queen Street East, then west along Queen to DeGrassi St. It went north along DeGrassi until Gerrard, west along Gerrard until Broadview Avenue, north along Broadview until Sparkhall Avenue, east along Sparkhall until Hampton Avenue and north along Hampton until it reached Danforth Avenue. North of Danforth it continued along Jackman Avenue until it reached the city limits. On the east side, next to the neighbouring riding of Beaches-Woodbine, the border started at the lake and went north along Coxwell Avenue to Queen Street East. A one block jog west and then it went north along Rhodes Avenue to the Danforth. At Danforth it jogged back east to Coxwell and then followed this street north to the city limits.[5]

In 1974 the eastern boundary with Beaches-Woodbine was altered. The new border consisted of Coxwell Avenue from Lake Ontario north to the railway right-of-way just south of Hanson Street. The boundary followed the right-of-way west until Greenwood Avenue. It then went north along Greenwood until it met the city limits.[6]

The boundaries were further altered in 1987. The western boundary was moved back to the Don River. This was followed north to the Toronto city limits. Going east it followed the city limits to Coxwell Avenue. It turned south following Coxwell to the Canadian National Railway right-of-way. It went west along the right-of-way turning south following Greenwood Avenue to Queen Street East, then west to Leslie Street, and then south to Lake Ontario.

It was merged into the riding of merged into the Toronto-Danforth in 1996 prior to the election in 1999.

Members of Provincial Parliament

Parliament Years Member Party
prior to 1914 part of the Toronto East riding
14th 1914–1919     Joseph Russell Conservative
15th 1919–1923     Joseph McNamara Soldier
16th 1923–1926     George Oakley Conservative
17th 1926–1929
18th 1929–1934
19th 1934–1937     Robert Aloysius Allen Liberal
20th 1937–1943     William Summerville[nb 1] Progressive Conservative
21st 1943–1945     Leslie Emery Wismer Co-operative Commonwealth
22nd 1945–1948     Gordon James Millen Progressive Conservative
23rd 1948–1951     Leslie Emery Wismer Co-operative Commonwealth
24th 1951-1955     Robert Macaulay[nb 2] Progressive Conservative
25th 1955–1959
26th 1959–1963
27th 1963–1964
1964–1967     Jim Renwick[nb 3] New Democratic
28th 1967–1971
29th 1971–1975
30th 1975–1977
31st 1977–1981
32nd 1981–1985
33rd 1985–1987     David Reville New Democratic
34th 1987-1990
35th 1990–1995     Marilyn Churley New Democratic
36th 1995–1999
Sourced from the Ontario Legislative Assembly[7]
merged into the Toronto-Danforth after 1999

Election results

1914 boundaries

Ontario general election, 1914
Party Candidate Votes[8] Vote %
    Conservative Joseph Russell 3,310 68.9
    Temperance W.W. Hiltz 1,337 27.8
    Socialist T.E. Black 135 3.3
Total 4,782
Ontario general election, 1919: Riverdale
Party Candidate Votes%
Soldier–LabourJoseph McNamara 7,404 38.7
LabourJohn T. Vick 5,882 30.7
ConservativeW.D. Robbins 5,673 29.6
Socialist-LabourGeorge Lockhart 192 1.0
Total 19,151
1919 was the first election to allow women to vote, more than doubling the vote counts in each riding.
2 polls unreported.
"Tory stronghold routed, five Liberals in Toronto". The Globe (Toronto). 1919-10-21. p. 8.
Ontario general election, 1923
Party Candidate Votes[9] Vote %
    Conservative George Oakley 11,250 78.7
    Independent Liberal H.G. Farrell 1,831 12.8
    Labour Alexander Lyon 1,208 8.5
Total 14,289

1926 boundaries

Toronto riding boundaries after 1926 redistribution
Ontario general election, 1926
Party Candidate Votes[10][11][nb 4] Vote %
    Conservative George Oakley 8,755 61.3
    Conservative-Prohibitionist A.R. Hansard 4,022 38.7
Total 14,265
Ontario general election, 1929
Party Candidate Votes[12] Vote %
    Conservative George Oakley 5,435 79.4
    Liberal James McLauchlin 2,130 20.6
Total 8,668

1934 boundaries

Toronto riding boundaries after 1934 redistribution
Ontario general election, 1934
Party Candidate Votes[13] Vote %
    Liberal Robert Allen 10,909 30.3
    Conservative George Oakley 10,325 42.8
    Socialist-Labour Edward Farrell 1,010 26.0
Total 21,037
Ontario general election, 1937
Party Candidate Votes[14] Vote %
    Conservative William Summerville 10,865 43.7
    Liberal Robert Allen 8,211 33.3
    Co-operative Commonwealth J.W. Buckley 4,407 22.9
    Socialist-Labour Edward Farrell 95 26.0
Total 22,343
Ontario general election, 1943
Party Candidate Votes[15] Vote %
    Co-operative Commonwealth Leslie Wismer 7,091 47.7
    Progressive Conservative W.A. Summerville 6,959 39.3
    Liberal W.R. Allen 2,068 13.0
Total 17,685
Ontario general election, 1945
Party Candidate Votes[16] Vote %
    Progressive Conservative Gordon Millen 11,769 39.8
    Co-operative Commonwealth Leslie Wismer 7,851 31.2
    Liberal Capt. W.R. Allen 3,722 27.4
    Labor-Progressive Harry Bell 611 1.3
    Socialist-Labour Richard Dunk 186 0.3
Total 28,501
Ontario general election, 1948
Party Candidate Votes[17] Vote %
    Co-operative Commonwealth Leslie Wismer 12,419 46.8
    Progressive Conservative Charles Walton 10,259 39.8
    Liberal Joseph McNamara 3,194 12.5
    Socialist-Labour W.B. Hendry 245 0.9
Total 27,308
Ontario general election, 1951
Party Candidate Votes[18] Vote %
    Progressive Conservative Robert Macaulay 10,705 45.5
    Co-operative Commonwealth Carroll Coburn 7,150 30.4
    Liberal A. Roy Cadwell 5,264 22.4
    Socialist-Labour Alan Sanderson 387 1.6
Total 23,506
Ontario general election, 1955
Party Candidate Votes[19] Vote %
    Progressive Conservative Robert Macaulay 8,655 44.2
    Co-operative Commonwealth H. Hargrave 5,128 37.6
    Liberal Fred Beavis 4,195 16.9
    Labor-Progressive Hector MacArthur 329 1.3
    Socialist-Labour Alan Sanderson 125 0.3
Total 19,332
Ontario general election, 1959
Party Candidate Votes[20] Vote %
    Progressive Conservative Robert Macaulay 7,707 44.2
    Co-operative Commonwealth Charles Daly 3,880 41.8
    Liberal Carl Lewis 3,486 17.6
Total 18,845
Ontario general election, 1963
Party Candidate Votes[21] Vote %
    Progressive Conservative Robert Macaulay 7,994 49.3
    Liberal Barry Allen 4,302 26.5
    New Democrat Gerry Gallagher 3,671 22.7
    Independent Fred Graham 137 0.8
    Independent Alan Sanderson 103 0.6
Total 16,207
By-election September 10, 1964
Party Candidate Votes[22] Vote %
    New Democrat Jim Renwick 7,326 38.7
    Progressive Conservative Kenneth Waters 5,782 30.5
    Liberal Charles Templeton 5,738 30.3
    Independent Fred Graham 92 0.5
Total 18,938

1966 boundaries

Ontario general election, 1967
Party Candidate Votes[23] Vote %
    New Democrat Jim Renwick 10,722 54.1
    Progressive Conservative Ying Hope 6,136 30.9
    Liberal Joseph Breglia 2,689 13.6
    Independent William Hendry 289 1.5
Total 19,836
Ontario general election, 1971
Party Candidate Votes[24] Vote %
    New Democrat Jim Renwick 9,919 46.8
    Progressive Conservative J.J. Richards 8,344 39.3
    Liberal Gordon Potts 2,635 12.4
    Social Credit Vicki Andrens 315 1.5
Total 21,213

1974 boundaries

Ontario general election, 1975
Party Candidate Votes[25] Vote %
    New Democrat Jim Renwick 8,885 50.1
    Progressive Conservative Dick Perdue 4,649 26.2
    Liberal Nick Kapelos 3,695 20.8
    Communist Ed McDonald 389 2.2
    Independent Walter Belej 58 0.3
    Independent George Shand 34 0.2
    Social Credit Armand Siksna 28 0.2
Total 17,738
Ontario general election, 1977
Party Candidate Votes[26] Vote %
    New Democrat Jim Renwick 9,340 55.7
    Progressive Conservative Nola Crewe 4,148 24.7
    Liberal Dennis Drainville 2,750 16.4
    Communist Gordon Massie 233 1.4
    Libertarian Walter Belej 192 1.1
    Independent Barry Weisleder 114 0.7
Total 16,777
Ontario general election, 1981
Party Candidate Votes[27] Vote %
    New Democrat Jim Renwick 6,776 46.7
    Progressive Conservative Peter Hesky 4,081 28.1
    Liberal Ed Schofield 3,251 22.4
    Independent Thelma Forsyth 230 1.7
    Communist Anna Sidens 161 1.1
Total 14,499
Ontario general election, 1985
Party Candidate Votes[28] Vote %
    New Democrat David Reville 9,869 52.1
    Progressive Conservative Bret Snider 4,590 24.2
    Liberal Doug DeMille 3,986 21.0
    Communist Maggie Bizzell 322 1.7
Green Michael Tegtmeyer 189 1.0
Total 18,956

1987 boundaries

Ontario general election, 1987
Party Candidate Votes[29] Vote %
    New Democrat David Reville 10,338 44.4
    Liberal Jim Karygiannis 8,699 37.7
    Progressive Conservative Bob Dodd 3,300 14.3
GreenDebora Hojman 328 1.4
    Libertarian Byron Garby 283 1.2
    Communist Maggie Bizzell 210 0.9
Total 23,048
Ontario general election, 1990
Party Candidate Votes[30] Vote %
    New Democrat Marilyn Churley 14,085 62.1
    Liberal Pat Marquis 5,514 24.3
    Progressive Conservative John Ruffolo 1,588 7.0
Green Leanne Haze 815 3.6
    Libertarian Daniel Hunt 675 3.0
Total 22,677
Ontario general election, 1995
Party Candidate Votes[31] Vote %
    New Democrat Marilyn Churley 10,948 46.9
    Progressive Conservative John Gamble 6,348 27.2
    Liberal Frank Lowery 5,443 23.3
    Independent Pat Marquis 273 1.2
Green Marianna Tzabiras 217 0.9
    Natural Law Loucas Café 124 0.5
Total 23,353

References

Notes

  1. ↑ In 1938, the title of Member of the Legislative Assembly was officially changed to Member of Provincial Parliament. Previously, it was unofficially used in the media and in the Legislature.
  2. ↑ Macaulay resigned his seat midway through the 25th legislature which forced a by-election.
  3. ↑ Renwick died in office 28 November 1984 but the 1985 election was held before a by-election could be called.
  4. ↑ 64 out of 92 polls reporting.

Citations

  1. ↑ "Death of a member for Riverdale, speech by Bob Rae on the death of Jim Renwick". Legislative Assembly of Ontario. 29 November 1984.
  2. ↑ "Toronto Ridings as they are now - how 10 seats are distributed". Toronto Daily Star (Toronto). 1914-06-12. p. 5.
  3. ↑ "Map of Toronto showing Provincial election ridings and City Limits". Toronto Daily Star (Toronto). 1926-11-06. p. 22.
  4. ↑ "Toronto and Suburban Ridings in June 19th Election Fight". Toronto Daily Star (Toronto). 1934-06-12. p. 3.
  5. ↑ Provincial Electoral Districts (Map). Cartography by Lands and Surveys Branch, Department of Lands and Forests. Toronto: Queen's Printer for Ontario. 1967. To find this map in the Ontario Archives, please see sub-series title "Ontario electoral district maps", reference code RG 1-211, File item code RG 1-211-0-0-06.
  6. ↑ Vallee, Brian (1975-08-26). "Riverdale: Prices are a growing concern". Toronto Star. p. A7.
  7. ↑ For a listing of each MPP's Queen's Park curriculum vitae see below:
    • For Joseph Russell's Legislative Assembly information see "Joseph Russell, MPP". Parliamentary History. Toronto: Legislative Assembly of Ontario. 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-18.
    • For Joseph McNamara's Legislative Assembly information see "Joseph McNamara, MPP". Parliamentary History. Toronto: Legislative Assembly of Ontario. 2012. Retrieved 2011-11-29.
    • For George Oakley's Legislative Assembly information see "George Oakley, MPP". Parliamentary History. Toronto: Legislative Assembly of Ontario. 2012. Retrieved 2011-11-29.
    • For Robert Aloysius Allen's Legislative Assembly information see "Robert Aloysius Allen, MPP". Parliamentary History. Toronto: Legislative Assembly of Ontario. 2012. Retrieved 2011-11-29.
    • For William Arthur Summerville's Legislative Assembly information see "William Arthur Summerville, MPP". Parliamentary History. Toronto: Legislative Assembly of Ontario. 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-18.
    • For Leslie Emery Wismer's Legislative Assembly information see "Leslie Emery Wismer, MPP". Parliamentary History. Toronto: Legislative Assembly of Ontario. 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-18.
    • For Gordon James Millen's Legislative Assembly information see "Gordon James Millen, MPP". Parliamentary History. Toronto: Legislative Assembly of Ontario. 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-18.
    • For Robert William Macaulay's Legislative Assembly information see "Robert William Macaulay, MPP". Parliamentary History. Toronto: Legislative Assembly of Ontario. 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-18.
    • For James Alexander Renwick's Legislative Assembly information see "James Alexander Renwick, MPP". Parliamentary History. Toronto: Legislative Assembly of Ontario. 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-18.
    • For David R. Reville's Legislative Assembly information see "David R. Reville, MPP". Parliamentary History. Toronto: Legislative Assembly of Ontario. 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-18.
    • For Marilyn Churley's Legislative Assembly information see "Marilyn Churley, MPP". Parliamentary History. Toronto: Legislative Assembly of Ontario. 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-18.
  8. ↑ "Elect Russell in Riverdale Riding". The Toronto World (Toronto). 1914-06-30. p. 3.
  9. ↑ "The Vote in Toronto and the York ridings". The Toronto Daily Star (Toronto). 1923-06-26. p. 5.
  10. ↑ Canadian Press (1926-12-02). "Ontario General Elections and By-elections, 1923-1926". The Globe (Toronto). p. 7.
  11. ↑ "Sweep by Tories Returns 15 Wets in Toronto Seats". The Toronto Daily Star (Last Extra edition) (Toronto). 1926-12-01. p. 1.
  12. ↑ "Vote Cast and Personnel of the New Ontario Legislature". The Toronto Daily Star (Toronto). 1929-10-31. p. 43.
  13. ↑ "Detailed Election Results". The Globe (Toronto). 1934-06-21. p. 3.
  14. ↑ "Ontario Voted By Ridings". The Toronto Daily Star (Toronto). 1937-10-07. p. 5.
  15. ↑ Canadian Press (1943-08-05). "Ontario Election Results". The Gazette (Montreal). p. 12.
  16. ↑ Canadian Press (1945-06-05). "How Ontario Electors Voted in all 90 Ridings". The Toronto Daily Star (Toronto). p. 5. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  17. ↑ Canadian Press (1948-06-08). "How Ontario Electors Voted in all 90 Ridings". The Toronto Daily Star (Toronto). p. 24.
  18. ↑ Canadian Press (1951-11-22). "Complete Ontario Vote". The Montreal Gazette (Montreal). p. 4. Retrieved 2012-04-22.
  19. ↑ Canadian Press (1955-06-10). "Complete Results of Ontario Voting by Constituencies". The Ottawa Citizen (Ottawa). p. 4. Retrieved 2012-04-22.
  20. ↑ Canadian Press (1959-06-12). "Complete Results of Ontario Voting by Constituencies". The Ottawa Citizen (Ottawa). p. 26. Retrieved 2012-04-22.
  21. ↑ Canadian Press (1963-09-26). "78 in Tory Blue Wave -- 23 Is All Grits Saved". The Windsor Star (Windsor, Ontario). p. 25. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
  22. ↑ "Riverdale and Windsor: 1-2 punch at Liberals". The Toronto Daily Star (Toronto). 1964-09-11. p. 1.
  23. ↑ Canadian Press (1967-10-18). "Tories win, but...". The Windsor Star (Windsor, Ontario). p. B2. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
  24. ↑ Canadian Press (1971-10-22). "Here's who won on the Metro ridings". The Toronto Daily Star (Toronto). p. 12.
  25. ↑ Canadian Press (1975-09-19). "Results from the 29 ridings in Metro". The Toronto Daily Star (Toronto). p. A18.
  26. ↑ Canadian Press (1977-06-10). "How they voted in Metro area". The Toronto Daily Star (Toronto). p. A10.
  27. ↑ Canadian Press (1981-03-20). "Election results for Metro Toronto ridings". The Windsor Star (Windsor, Ontario). p. 22. Retrieved 2012-05-10.
  28. ↑ Canadian Press (1985-05-03). "The night the Tories tumbled; riding by riding results". Ottawa Citizen (Toronto). p. 43. Retrieved 2012-05-10.
  29. ↑ "How Metro-Area Voted". The Toronto Daily Star (Toronto). 1987-09-11. p. A12.
  30. ↑ "How Metro-Area Voted". The Toronto Daily Star (Toronto). 1990-09-07. p. A10.
  31. ↑ "Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate". Elections Ontario. 1995-06-08. Retrieved 2012-09-04.