1997 Toronto municipal election

The 1997 Toronto municipal election was the first election held for offices in the amalgamated "megacity" of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The elections were administered by the old City of Toronto and its five suburbs within Metropolitan Toronto. The vote was held November 10, 1997, electing the mayor and 56 councillors in 28 wards who took office on January 1, 1998, the day of the amalgamation.

1997 Toronto mayoral election

← 1994 November 10, 1997 2000 →
Turnout	45.6%
Candidate Mel Lastman Barbara Hall Popular vote 387,848 346,452 Percentage 51.9% 46.4%
Ward by ward results for mayor. Lastman won North York and the other suburbs while Hall won the southern and central areas.
Mayor of Toronto before election Barbara Hall (pre-amalgamation) Elected Mayor of Toronto Mel Lastman

The election resulted in a showdown between two incumbent mayors of cities being dissolved into the megacity: Barbara Hall, the one-term mayor of the old city of Toronto, and Mel Lastman, who had been mayor of the suburban city North York for 25 years. Both candidates were independent, but Hall was a prior member of the left-of-centre New Democratic Party and Lastman of the right-of-centre Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. Lastman was additionally well-known as pitchman for his family-owned Bad Boy furniture and appliance stores.

Mayor

The mayoral race saw incumbents from the two largest former cities run to be mayor, the left-leaning Barbara Hall and the right-leaning Mel Lastman. Lastman won the election by a narrow margin, around 40,000 votes.

Election for Mayor, City of Toronto, 1926 of 1926 Polls Reporting

Candidate	Total votes	% of total votes
Mel Lastman	387,848	51.92%
Barbara Hall	346,452	46.38%
Don Andrews	1,985	0.26%
Ben Kerr	1,670	0.22%
William Burrill	1,421	0.19%
Steve Markle	1,244	0.16%
C. Edwards	1,214	0.12%
Munyonzwe Hamalengwa	1,124	0.15%
Hazel Jackson	1,062	0.14%
Alan Heisey, Sr.	994	0.13%
Hans Bathija	869	0.11%
Karl Hille	695	0.09%
Santa Cuda	647	0.08%
Laurence M. Honickman	610	0.08%
Joanne Pritchard	552	0.07%
George Dowar	462	0.06%
Jeffery Sharpe	379	0.05%
Ernest Michaud	281	0.03%
Michael Houlton-Charette	211	0.02%
Duri Naimji	177	0.02%
Totals	746,897	100%

Council

The ward map used in the 1997 election. Previously the map of Metro divisions, but with two candidates now elected per ward

The election followed a plurality-at-large voting system where electors could vote for two candidates. Each of the 28 wards elected two councillors.^[1]

Ward 1 – East York

Michael Prue – 22440

Case Ootes – 8608

Jane Pitfield – 6926

Michael Tziretas – 6349

Elizabeth Rowley – 5707

Bob Dale – 4709

George Vasilopoulos – 4275

Paul Fernandes – 3156

Paul Robinson – 2885

Hortencia Fotopoulos – 663

Edward Wigglesworth – 368

Ward 2 – Lakeshore Queensway

Irene Jones – 9387

Blake Kinahan – 7788

Peter Milczyn – 7127

Jeff Knoll – 6877

Connie Micallef – 5179

Diethar Lein – 4396

David Smith – 2286

Joe Connell – 713

George Kash – 409

Ward 3 – Kingsway Humber

Gloria Lindsay Luby – 13123

Mario Giansante – 12767

Dennis Flynn – 10092

Rob Ford – 9366

Adam Slobodian – 797

Ben Cachola – 753

Ward 4 – Markland Centennial

Doug Holyday – 15430

Dick O'Brien – 10410

Agnes Ugolini Potts – 9650

Brian Flynn – 6809

Steve Deighton – 3974

Helen Bodanis – 799

Mark Stanisz – 507

Daphne Gabriel – 413

Alexander P. Masur – 279

Ward 5 – Rexdale Thistletown

Elizabeth Brown – 6546

Bruce Sinclair – 6482

Vincent Crisanti – 3540

John Kiru – 3203

Marco Luciani – 2847

Carmela Sasso – 2244

Brian Ineson – 2135

Nicolo Fortunato – 1925

Peter Kell – 1240

Anthony Caputo – 1133

Patrick McCool – 1045

Rosemarie Mulhall – 413

Ward 6 – North York Humber

Judy Sgro – 14334

George Mammoliti – 10226

Gina Serverino – 6875

Tony Marzilli – 5205

Bob Churchhill – 5012

Michael Marson – 722

Ward 7 – Black Creek

v t e 1997 Toronto municipal election: Councillor, Ward Seven (two members elected)
Candidate	Votes	%
Maria Augimeri	11,243	28.01
Peter Li Preti	9,747	24.28
Maria Rizzo	8,850	22.05
Anthony Perruzza	6,347	15.81
Anna Stella	2,961	7.38
Jeanelle Julien	523	1.30
Abdulhaq Omar	467	1.16
Total valid votes	40,138	100.00

• Anna Stella is a longtime community activist in the Black Creek area of Toronto. She applied to replace Anthony Perruzza as North York's fifth ward councillor in 1990, after Perruzza was elected to the provincial legislature and council decided to nominate an interim replacement rather than hold a by-election. She was turned down in favour of Claudio Polsinelli.^[2] Stella was later elected to the Metro Toronto Separate School Board in the 1994 municipal election, easily defeating four other candidates in Ward Twelve. She supported greater parental involvement in school affairs and a zero-tolerance policy toward violence, although she opposed Scarborough's policy of expulsion.^[3] In the 1997 election, she was endorsed by Art Eggleton and Annamarie Castrilli.^[4]
• Jeanelle Julien was a first-time candidate.

Ward 8 – North York Spadina

v t e 1997 Toronto municipal election: Councillor, Ward Eight (two members elected)
Candidate	Votes	%
(x)Howard Moscoe	16,187	35.74
(x)Mike Feldman	14,737	32.54
Frank Di Giorgio	11,487	25.36
Henry Braverman	1,572	3.47
Nickeisha Hudson	923	2.04
Roy Dzeko	383	0.85
Total valid votes	45,289	100.00

• Henry Braverman was a first-time candidate.
• Nickeisha Hudson was a student trustee in 1997, and was awarded a Harry Jerome Award for leadership.^[5] She was a first-time candidate. In 1999, she was a youth events coordinator in Hamilton.^[6]
• Dzeko is a businessman in Toronto.^[7] He was a first-time candidate.

Ward 9 – North York Centre South

Joanne Flint – 16447

Milton Berger – 12370

Dick Chapman – 8484

Stuart Ian Weinstein – 3740

Ward 10 – North York Centre

John Filion – 17533

Norman Gardner – 15135

Ron Summers – 11212

Ward 11 – Don Parkway

Gordon Chong – 11961

Denzil Minnan-Wong – 11001

Don Yuill – 10450

Kim Scott – 4742

Allen Scott – 4369

Janaki Bala-Krishan – 2901

Neil Milson – 684

Christopher M. Beale – 653

Dixon Rhamadeen – 380

Ward 12 – Seneca Heights

Joan King – 18471

David Shiner – 18319

Raffi Assadourian – 5151

Joel Ginsberg – 3345

Bernadette Michael – 2938

Ward 13 – Scarborough Bluffs

Brian Ashton – 15528

Gerry Altobello – 12605

Fred Johnston – 11265

Gaye Dale – 6491

Karin Eaton – 4670

Ed Green – 931

Ward 14 – Scarborough Wexford

Norm Kelly – 13740

Mike Tzekas – 12318

Aris Babikian – 3644

Gerry Leonard – 2366

George Pornaras – 2024

Ward 15 – Scarborough City Centre

Brad Duguid – 15686

Lorenzo Berardinetti – 14179

Paul Mushinski – 9141

Betty Hackett – 4579

Russell Worrick – 3882

Ron Hartung – 743

Ward 16 – Scarborough Highland Creek

Frank Faubert – 15062

Ron Moeser – 13955

David Soknacki – 12183

Chris Braney – 7142

Ward 17 – Scarborough Agincourt

Sherene Shaw – 10634

Doug Mahood – 9861

Wayne Cook – 5631

Jeff Mark – 4909

Doug Hum – 4645

Ward 18 – Scarborough Malvern

Raymond Cho – 11190

Bas Balkissoon – 10745

Edith Montgomery – 10659

Jim Mackey – 2621

Terry Singh – 1812

Sinna Chelliah – 1165

Jasmine Singh – 871

Arlanna Lewis – 666

George B. Singh – 339

Ward 19 – High Park

v t e 1997 Toronto municipal election: Councillor, Ward Nineteen (two members elected)
Candidate	Votes	%
(x)David Miller	13,665	27.64
(x)Chris Korwin-Kuczynski	13,115	26.53
Connie Dejak	8,267	16.72
(x)David Hutcheon	7,437	15.04
Alex Chumak	3,931	7.95
Ed Hooven	1,336	2.70
Walter Melnyk	1,085	2.19
Jorge Van Schouwen	599	1.21
Total valid votes	49,435	100.00

• Connie Dejak is a longtime administrator at Runnymede Chronic Care Hospital. As of 2006, she is the hospital's president and chief executive officer.^[8] When a reviewing committee appointed by the Mike Harris provincial government decided to close Runnymede in 1997, she organized the hospital's successful challenge against the decision.^[9] Dejak is also a community activist, and has served on a police liaison committee for her neighbourhood.^[10] She and David Miller were endorsed by the Toronto Star newspaper in the 1997 campaign.^[11] She later sought an appointment to the Toronto Police Serves Board in 1999, but was passed over in favour of Alan Heisey.^[12] In the 2003 mayoral contest, she supported John Nunziata.^[13] Dejak is a member of the Liberal Party, and there are reports that she considered running for the party in a 2006 provincial by-election in Parkdale—High Park.^[14]
• Ed Hooven has a PhD in Sociology, and is currently an assistant professor at York University. His formal biographical sketch indicates that his past works have focused on European integration, the post-war Japanese economy and North American free trade agreements. His current work focused on the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and "judicial activism".^[15] He has contributed a chapter to "Canada and the New Economic Order", entitled "The New World Order: In a New Millennium".^[16] Hooven has called for governments to distinguish between the "deserving" and "undeserving" when determining policies on social assistance.^[17] He has written against multiculturalism and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as leading to "creeping moral relativism", and has also criticized the powers of the Canadian judiciary.^[18] He has accused feminists of seeking to destroy the nuclear family.^[19] Hooven has been active with the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, and was research director for the Republican candidate for governor in the 1998 New Hampshire state elections.^[20] He is a member of Republicans Abroad Canada.^[21] He also plays guitar in the Mississauga Big Band Ensemble.^[22]
• Walter Melnyk was a teacher in Peel, and later worked in sales.^[23] He was a member of the Metro Toronto Separate School Board from 1980 to 1988. He was first elected in the 1980 municipal election, defeating incumbent trustee Edward Boehler in the city's first ward. During this campaign, he called for better services for graduating elementary students entering the public school system.^[24] In 1984, he brought forward a motion to provide medical services for students afflicted by poor environmental conditions in Toronto's Junction Triangle.^[25] Melnyk also promoted mandatory physical education programs.^[26] In January 1988, he brought forward a motion criticizing existing practices on the Separate School Board, suggesting that the board consider breaking itself up into regional bodies.^[27] He argued that the board was dominated by a secretive "old guard", who often reduced other trustees to the role of passive spectators. The board rejected his motion.^[28] Melnyk also called for non-Catholics to be allowed into Catholic schools.^[29] He was defeated by Barbara Poplowski in the 1988 municipal election; a newspaper article from the campaign lists him as thirty-nine years old.^[23] After the election, he was appointed as a school representative on the Toronto Board of Health.^[30] He campaigned for a seat on the Toronto City Council in 1991, promising to introduce a taxpayers' bill of rights.^[31] He narrowly lost to New Democratic Party incumbent Rob Maxwell in the eleventh ward. Melnyk was later banned from running in the 1994 municipal election, after failing to file a financial statement for his 1991 campaign.^[32] He worked as the campaign manager for city council candidate Alex Chumak, but was forced to leave this campaign amid controversy. Chumak informed the media that Melnyk had offered a rival candidate a position on the Toronto Board of Health in return for leaving the race; Melnyk said that he did nothing wrong.^[33] Melnyk ran for a position on the new city council in 1997, and was defeated. He tried to return to the Separate School Board (now renamed as the Toronto Catholic District School Board) in 2000, but lost to Barbara Poplowski for a second time.

Ward 20 – Trinity Niagara

Joe Pantalone – 11031

Mario Silva – 10252

Martin Silva – 8329

Joe Magalhaes – 4035

Ward 21 – Davenport

Betty Disero – 10747

Dennis Fotinos – 7587

Rob Maxwell – 6858

John Doherty – 5096

Tony Letra – 4788

Dale Ritch – 1111

Jennifer Bauer – 1049

Ward 22 – North Toronto

Anne Johnston – 17123

Michael Walker – 16449

Kay Gardner – 15275

Linda Sparling – 8235

David N. Coleman – 1525

John Ringer – 665

Ward 23 – Midtown

John Adams – 12010

Ila Bossons – 11553

Howard Joy – 10651

Brian Mayes – 8659

Howard Levine – 6167

David Vallance – 2112

Blair Gray – 622

Philip Charles – 427

Ward 24 – Downtown

Olivia Chow – 20453

Kyle Rae – 16149

Al Carbone – 5186

Paul Hogan – 2319

Rosie Schwartz – 2001

Doug Lowry – 1615

Charlene Cottle – 864

Roberto Verdecchia – 787

Carmin Priolo – 398

Ward 25 – Don River

Jack Layton – 15045

Pam McConnell – 8359

Peter Tabuns – 8141

Soo Wong – 7212

Spiros Papathanasakis – 6590

Terry Brackett – 1546

Mike Armstrong – 1429

Wendy Forrest – 947

Larry Tabin – 939

Ward 26 – East Toronto

Tom Jakobek – 14945

Sandra Bussin – 13323

Paul Christie – 12883

Steve Ellis – 11649

Bruce Bryce – 643

Ward 27 – York Humber

Frances Nunziata – 14354

Bill Saundercook – 6295

Michael McDonald – 5245

Randy Leach – 4837

Carl Miller – 4684

Stan Kumorek – 1535

Natalie Wall – 661

Arthur Saverino – 540

Paul Jewett – 268

Ward 28 – York Eglinton

Joe Mihevc – 7548

Rob Davis – 6660

Caroline DiGiovanni – 5989

Tony Rizzo – 5538

Joan Roberts – 4077

Chai Kalevar – 912