1910 Toronto municipal election


Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on 1 January 1910. George Reginald Geary was elected to his first term as mayor. Two plebiscites were passed:
  1. To build a tube and surface subway transit system;
  2. Election of Board of Education by wards.
Three by-laws were also voted on, two passed. The approved by-laws were:
  1. Building new buildings on the Canadian Exhibition Grounds;
  2. Building more fire and police stations.
The by-law that failed to win approval was the one calling for the extension of Bloor Street by means of a viaduct.

Voting eligibility

Unlike the present era, the right to vote was not universal to all citizens. Notably, since 1884, most women were still not allowed to vote as they had to be either a widow or single, and own land. There were also restrictions on which men could vote on what options. A complicated system based on what land was owned or leased decided if a person could vote on the money by-laws or not. The following excerpt from The Globe explains the process:

Toronto mayor

Mayor Joseph Oliver did not run for re-election. George Reginald Geary had run for the mayor's office in 1908 but lost to Oliver before winning a seat on the Board of Control the next year. In an open race in 1910, Geary's main opponent was fellow Controller Horatio Clarence Hocken, founder of the Toronto Star and social reformer whom he defeated by 4,000 votes.
;Results

Board of Control

All results are sourced from the 3 January 1910 The Globe, page one.
Two spots opened up on the Board of Control as a result of Controllers Geary and Hocken both running for mayor. Tommy Church and Thomas Foster joined the Board for the first time and Frank S. Spence returned, this time topping the vote, after being defeated the previous year. William Spence Harrison was defeated meaning only one incumbent, Labourite J.J. Ward, was re-elected.

City council

;Ward 1
;Ward 2
;Ward 3
;Ward 4
;Ward 5
;Ward 6
;Ward 7