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 a provincial riding in Ontario, Canada 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 Broadview-Greenwood.

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 Avenue 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

Election results

1926 boundaries

Toronto riding boundaries after 1926 redistribution

1926 Ontario general election

	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

1929 Ontario general election

	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

1934 Ontario general election

	Party	Candidate	Votes[13]	Vote %
	Liberal	Robert Allen	10,909	49.0
	Conservative	George Oakley	10,325	46.4
	Socialist-Labour	Edward Farrell	1,010	4.5
		Total	22,244

1937 Ontario general election

	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

1943 Ontario general election

	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

1945 Ontario general election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
	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
Canadian Press (1945-06-05). "How Ontario Electors Voted in all 90 Ridings". The Toronto Daily Star. Toronto. p. 5. Retrieved 2012-03-03.

1948 Ontario general election

	Party	Candidate	Votes[16]	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

1951 Ontario general election

	Party	Candidate	Votes[17]	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

1955 Ontario general election

	Party	Candidate	Votes[18]	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

1959 Ontario general election

	Party	Candidate	Votes[19]	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

1963 Ontario general election

	Party	Candidate	Votes[20]	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[21]	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

References