1952 Edmonton municipal election

The 1952 municipal election was held October 15, 1952 to elect five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and three trustees to sit on the separate school board, while three trustees were acclaimed to the public board. There was no election for mayor, as William Hawrelak was halfway through his two-year term. The electorate also decided four plebiscite questions.

There were ten aldermen on city council, but five of the positions were already filled: Harold Tanner (SS), Abe Miller, Rupert Clare, Violet Field, and Al Larson (SS) were all elected to two-year terms in 1951 and were still in office.

There were seven trustees on the public school board, but four of the positions were already filled: William Webber, Mary Butterworth (SS), J W K Shortreed, and John Thorogood (SS) had been acclaimed to two-year terms in 1951ṣ and were still in office. The same was true on the separate board, where Andre Dechene, William Sereda, Catherine McGrath, and Amby Lenon (SS) were continuing.

This was the first election to be held the third Wednesday in October instead of the first Wednesday in November, as had previously been the rule. It was also the first election in which there were more than one hundred thousand eligible voters.

Voter turnout

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There were 12,800 ballots cast out of 101,521 eligible voters, for a voter turnout of 12.6%.

Results

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Aldermen

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Party Candidate Votes Elected
Citizens' Committee Edwin Clarke 10,617 Green tickY
Citizens' Committee Richmond Francis Hanna 10,532 SS Green tickY
Citizens' Committee Frederick John Mitchell 9,502 Green tickY
Citizens' Committee James C MacDonald 9,200 Green tickY
Citizens' Committee Ethel Wilson 7,039 Green tickY
Independent Thomas Andrew Graham 6,153
Independent Mack Lyle 5,567 SS
  Independent Labour Carl Berg 4,563

Public school trustees

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Party Candidate Votes Elected
Citizens' Committee Charles Cummins Acclaimed Green tickY
Citizens' Committee Robert Rae Acclaimed Green tickY
Citizens' Committee Harry Fowler Acclaimed Green tickY

Separate (Catholic) school trustees

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Party Candidate Votes Elected
  Independent Francis Killeen 1,339 Green tickY
Independent James O'Hara 1,310 Green tickY
Independent Joseph Pilon 1,306
Independent Adrian Crowe 1,170 SS Green tickY
Independent William Ditto 855 SS

Under the minimum South Side representation rule, Crowe was elected over Pilon.

Plebiscites

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  • Financial plebiscite items required a minimum two-thirds "Yes" majority to bring about action

Paving

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Shall Council pass a bylaw creating a debenture debt in the sum of $1,250,000 for the City's share of paving residential and arterial streets?

  • Yes - 7,645
  • No - 1,185

Engineering Equipment

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Shall Council pass a bylaw creating a debenture debt in the sum of $175,000 to purchase Engineers Department equipment consisting of road graders, street flushers, street sweepers and earthmovers??

  • Yes - 7,446
  • No - 1,288

Incinerator

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Shall Council pass a bylaw creating a debenture debt in the sum of $550,000 in order to undertake the construction of a new Incinerator Building and the necessary furnaces for garbage and refuse disposal?

  • Yes - 7,363
  • No - 1,363

Royal Alexandra Hospital Maternity Wing

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Shall Council pass a bylaw creating a debenture debt in the sum of $825,000 in order to finish building and to equip and furnish the maternity wing of the Royal Alexandra Hospital?

  • Yes - 7,363
  • No - 1,363

References

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