Ontario used MMDs 1840-1969 - Toronto's Use of Multi-Member Districts

For one type of election or another, Toronto voters cast their votes in multi-member districts most of the period from 1840 to 1969.

Colonial Upper Canada

Toronto had two members 1840-1860s

(Toronto continued as a two-seat district until 1861 (election of 7th Parliament of United Provinces) when it was split into two single-member districts.

This is described in Wikipedia "Toronto (Province of Canada electoral district).")

City level

three-seat wards in 1904  Block Voting

(1905-1950s I don't know the DM used)

two-seat wards in 1960s... Block voting

four-seat Board of Control elected city-wide  Cumulative Voting 1904-1969?

(see Montopedia "Timeline of Canadian electoral reform part 2")

In the Toronto city election of 1904, 12 members of the Board of Education were elected.

Cumulative voting (limited) - Each voter could cast up to 12 votes, but with no more than three given to any candidate. This meant that if one-quarter of the voters gave all their three votes to a candidate, he or she would be elected. If they did that with four candidates, the four would be elected - four out of 12.

Any minority smaller than a quarter of the electorate would not be assured of electing even one candidate, due to the three-vote limit on cumulating.

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Provincial level starting 1867

1886 to 1894, Limited voting used in 1886 and 1890 elections for Toronto's three MPPs,

each voter had two votes

1908 - 1926 elections: seat/post system in four Toronto districts (each electing two members)

four Toronto districts were: Toronto East, Toronto North, Toronto South, Toronto West.

1914 -- four Toronto districts renamed as: Toronto Northeast, Toronto Northwest, Toronto Southwest and Toronto Southeast. (each electing two members) .

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Federal level

2-seat "West Toronto" riding  Block Voting 1892-1904.

(sometimes called "Toronto West")

see

https://montopedia.wixsite.com/montopedia/post/canada-federally-and-in-the-provinces-and-territories-used-multi-member-districts-part-2

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Other parts of Ontario used MMDs as well:

Federal

The riding of Ottawa had two seats 1872 to 1933

The riding of Hamilton had two seats  1872-1903

Provincial

Ottawa provincial district elected two members from 1894 to 1908, using block voting.

(This seems to be the only multi-member district in Ontario at this time.)

City level

City of Ottawa never used single-member wards until 1972,

prior to that, they used two-seat wards.

perhaps other cities used multi-member wards or city-wide districting as well.

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