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Tom Monto

1917 - Calgary first city in Canada to adopt STV. Calgary also last Canadian city to use STV in 1971

1917 Calgary was first city in Canada to adopt STV.


STV in use until 1960, sporadically through 1960s, and then in general election of 1971.


Annual elections, so any casual vacancies was filled in next election.

Two-year terms, staggered terms, half of councillors up for election each year (except 1961 and 1971 when all the seats filled).


Gregory Method (version unknown) was used for transfers of surplus votes.


at first elections were held at-large, city-wide


DM varied from five to nine, variance due to casual vacancies.


1917 9 elected -- 6 to 2-year terms, three to one-year terms


from 1918 to 1960, DM ranged from 6 to 8. (or perhaps 5 to 9)


1961 Change to two-seat wards

1961 two-seat wards. Both members elected at one time. STV with DM-2


through 1960s alternating terms used so only one elected at a time in a district (IRV) except for three exceptions


three times in 1960s -- both seats in a ward were filled at the same time, due to casual vacancy (so STV was used.)


1971 both seats in each ward filled by STV.


Calgary's adoption of STV in 1917 was copied by 19 other municipalities within the next 11 years. All except Calgary, Winnipeg and some Winnipeg area suburbs dropped STV by 1930, Saskatoon was only one (so far) to put STV into use again later.) (see 1920, 1923, Saskatoon 1939)


Calgary had population of about 66,000 in 1917. (1917 Henderson's Directory, p. 39)


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first STV election saw election of first woman to Calgary city council.


perhaps Calgary's use of city STV produced independent-minded voters and that explains why no one party took all the seats in the 1921 prov eleciotn when Block voting was used to elect Calgary MLAs


1933 CP's Lenihan led strike by unemployed in Calgary and that led to Calgary having highest relief benefits in Canada, Perhaps this was partly due to the representation produced by STV. (Labour/ Le Travail Autumn 1985, p. 167)


election of CP-er Pat Lenihan to city council in 1938 (Labour/ Le Travail Autumn 1985, p. 168)


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