1963 Edmonton municipal election

The 1963 municipal election was held October 16, 1963 to elect a mayor and six aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and four trustees to sit on each of the public and separate school boards. The electorate also decided three plebiscite questions.

There were ten aldermen on city council, but four of the positions were already filled: Frederick John Mitchell, Ethel Wilson, Morris Weinlos, and Vincent Dantzer were all elected to two-year terms in 1962 and were still in office. George Prudham was also elected to a two-year term in 1961, but resigned. Six were elected in this election, all to one-year terms.

All elected officials were elected to one-year terms in this election, in preparation for the changeover to a new system, whereby elections would be held only every two years with all officials elected to two-year terms.

There were seven trustees on the public school board, but three of the positions were already filled: James Falconer, Milton Lazerte, and Helen Sinclair were elected to two-year terms in 1962 and were still in office. Four were elected in this election through Plurality block voting.

The same was true on the separate board, where Edward Stack, Jean McDonald, and Bill Diachuk were continuing.Four were elected in this election through Plurality block voting.

In addition to choosing members for City Council, citizens were asked to vote on three plebiscites. Two of the plebiscites were related, asking if the city should borrow money to purchase a four city block parcel of land in downtown Edmonton, and if the city should borrow money to build a sports and convention complex on that land. These two plebiscites were rejected. The site under consideration, on the north side of Jasper Avenue, is now occupied by the Citadel Theatre (opened 1976), Sun Life Place (1978), and Canada Place (1988). The eventual (1983) scaled down Edmonton Convention Centre was built a few metres south of the 1963 proposal site, on the cliff side of Jasper Avenue.

Citizens did agree to a sports/convention centre in a 1968 plebiscite, but later rejected the specific 1970 Omniplex project plebiscite. The similar-looking Commonwealth Stadium was built a few years later.

Voter turnout

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There were 98052 ballots cast out of 173901 eligible voters, for a voter turnout of 56.4%.

Results

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(bold indicates elected, italics indicate incumbent)

Mayor

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Party Candidate Votes %
Independent William Hawrelak 52,340 53.80%
Civic Government Association Stanley Milner 44,950 46.20%

Aldermen

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Party Candidate Votes Elected
Civic Government Association McKim Ross 53,516  Y
Civic Government Association John Leslie Bodie 43,186  Y
Civic Government Association Gordon McClary 41,248  Y
United Voters Association Ivor Dent 41,044  Y
United Voters Association Julia Kiniski 36,861  Y
Citizens Council Ed Leger 35,927  Y
Civic Government Association Murray Hamilton 35,725
Civic Government Association Robert Brower 33,408
United Voters Association Allan Welsh 30,611
Civic Government Association Fred Kurylo 28,654
United Voters Association Norbert Berkowitz 26,246
United Voters Association Kenneth McAuley 26,153
United Voters Association R. J. Dunseith 20,819
Independent John Sehn 14,369

Public School Trustees

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Party Candidate Votes Elected
Better Education Association Earl Buxton 33,699  Y
Better Education Association Walter Gainer 32,735  Y
Quality Education Council Edith Rogers 32,666  Y
Civic Government Association Vernon Johnson 25,366  Y
Civic Government Association P. William Jones 24,538
Better Education Association Herbert Meltzer 21,560
Better Education Association John Bracco 21,334
Civic Government Association Bruce Mathew 19,179
Quality Education Council Lee Fosmark 11,741
Quality Education Council Arnold Rapske 11,015
Quality Education Council George Edward Machon 8,357

Separate (Catholic) School Trustees

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Party Candidate Votes Elected
Independent Orest Demco 11,581  Y
Independent A. A. Gorman 9,441  Y
Independent G. R. Boileau 9,689  Y
Independent B. Feehan 9,147  Y
Independent John Barbeau 8,506
Independent Roy Watson 6,103
Independent Harry Carrigan 6,020
Independent William Betzler 5,586

Plebiscites

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

Land Exchange

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Are you in favour of the disposition, by exchange, of approximately 1.23 acres of land lying East of Bellamy Hill, approximately .43 acres of which is now designated as Parkland, for approximately 215 acres of land lying in the Southwest section of the City in an area West of Whitemud Creek? The purpose of the exchange is to enable the purchaser to construct a commercial building on the Bellamy Hill site. If the exchange is accepted, the land acquired by the City will be Parkland?[1]

  • Yes
63,344
  • No
26,421

Convention Complex Land Acquisition

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Shall Council pass bylaw No. 2454 to borrow by debentures $4,000,000.00 with which to buy the land and buildings between Jasper Avenue and 102nd Avenue and between 97th Street and 99th Street so that a convention centre, an arena for sporting and cultural events and exhibitions, a theatre building, tourist centre and parking garage can be built there as part of the City Centre Development Plan?

  • Yes
33,470
  • No
25,300

Convention Complex

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Shall Council pass bylaw No. 2455 to borrow by debentures $10,250,000.00 to construct a convention centre, an arena for sporting and cultural events and exhibitions, a theatre building, tourist centre and parking garage?

  • Yes
30,903
  • No
25,457

Notes

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  1. ^ Note that the Land Exchange plebiscite areas convert as: 1.25 acres (0.51 ha), 0.43 acres (0.17 ha) and 215 acres (87 ha).

References

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