Allan A. Lamport
Encyclopedia
Allan Austin Lamport, CM
(April 4, 1903 – November 18, 1999) was Mayor of Toronto, Canada
, from 1952 to 1954. Known as "Lampy", his most notable achievement was his opposition to Toronto's Blue law
s which banned virtually any activities on Sundays. Lamport fought to allow professional sporting activities on Sundays. He won the 1954 election, but resigned after six months to become vice-chairman (later chairman) of the newly formed Toronto Transit Commission
(TTC). Lamport later returned to City Council and made headlines for his opposition to Yorkville
's hippies in the late 1960s.
. These projects were approved and became the Toronto Island Airport and what is now Pearson International Airport. He also advocated the construction of the Mount Pleasant Road
extension connecting it to Jarvis Street
in order to create a north-south alternative to Yonge Street
.
From 1937 to 1943 he was an Ontario Liberal Party
Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for the Toronto riding
of St. David
. He enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force
during World War II
and once rose in the legislature to denounce Henry Ford
for his lack of support for the Canadian war effort calling him a "black-hearted American Quisling". As a result he was transferred by the RCAF to the east coast and was unable to carry out his political duties contributing his electoral defeat in the 1943 provincial election
. He returned to city council in 1946 and campaigned for the provincial government of George Drew to permit the opening of cocktail bars in Toronto. In 1947, the legislature approved the opening of bars in cities with more than 100,000 people. In 1949 he was elected to the Board of Control for the first time.
In 1950, Lamport spearheaded a municipal plebiscite that approved the playing of sports on Sundays. Until then, playing fields and even swings were padlocked on the Lord's Day
.
He was defeated in his first campaign for mayor in 1951 but won on his second attempt the next year. As mayor, Lamport encouraged the construction of Toronto's subway system which would be Canada's first when it opened in 1954. He also advocated the creation of Regent Park
, Canada's first large scale public housing
project. Premier Leslie Frost
considered Lamport for the position of Chairman of the newly created Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto but he was not interested. Lamport resigned as mayor in 1954 to serve on the Toronto Transit Commission first as vice-chairman and then as chairman from 1955 to 1959 and recommended and won approval for the construction of the Bloor-Danforth subway line. Following a political scandal over control of the TTC, he clashed with then Metro Chairman Frederick Gardiner, and was nearly ousted from the TTC.
In 1960, he again ran for mayor but was defeated by Nathan Phillips
. In 1964, he again ran for mayor and was defeated by Phil Givens. He subsequently returned to City Council again as a Controller and then as an alderman when the Board of Control was abolished. He famously opposed the hippies who populated the neighbourhood of Yorkville
pledging to drive them out of Toronto and encouraging police action against them and urged that the neighbourhood be demolished and replaced by a shopping mall. He clashed with David DePoe, spokesperson for the Yorkville hippies opposing DePoe's bid to address city council. The confrontation resulted in Lamport ordering police to remove the hippies from the city council chamber
In 1994, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada
. Lamport Stadium
in Toronto was named in his honour. His funeral was arranged through Ralph Day
Funeral Home and services were held at St. Paul's Anglican Church
and he is buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery
in Toronto
.
s. He was quoted on many subjects. For example, on the subject of progress he said "All this progress is marvellous... now if only it would stop." On the future, he said "It's hard to make predictions - especially about the future." On achieving the impossible, he said "It's like pushing a car uphill with a rope."
Some of his quotes were related to political life. On being Mayor of Toronto, he said "Being Mayor of Toronto is like being a Prime Minister - without a cabinet or a majority." He once commented on Metro Chairman Fred Gardiner: "Trailing Fred Gardiner is like tracking a bleeding elephant through a fresh fall of snow."
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
(April 4, 1903 – November 18, 1999) was Mayor of Toronto, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, from 1952 to 1954. Known as "Lampy", his most notable achievement was his opposition to Toronto's Blue law
Blue law
A blue law is a type of law, typically found in the United States and, formerly, in Canada, designed to enforce religious standards, particularly the observance of Sunday as a day of worship or rest, and a restriction on Sunday shopping...
s which banned virtually any activities on Sundays. Lamport fought to allow professional sporting activities on Sundays. He won the 1954 election, but resigned after six months to become vice-chairman (later chairman) of the newly formed Toronto Transit Commission
Toronto Transit Commission
-Island Ferry:The ferry service to the Toronto Islands was operated by the TTC from 1927 until 1962, when it was transferred to the Metro Parks and Culture department. Since 1998, the ferry service is run by Toronto Parks and Recreation.-Gray Coach:...
(TTC). Lamport later returned to City Council and made headlines for his opposition to Yorkville
Yorkville, Toronto
Yorkville is a district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, well known for its shopping. It is a former village, annexed by the City of Toronto. It is roughly bounded by Bloor Street to the south, Davenport Road to the north, Yonge Street to the east and Avenue Road to the west, and is considered part of...
's hippies in the late 1960s.
Political life
He first sat on Toronto City Council in 1937. A licenced pilot, he urged the city to build airports on Toronto Island and in Malton, OntarioMalton, Ontario
Malton is a neighbourhood in the northeastern part of the city of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, located to the northwest of Toronto. The neighbourhood has a population of approximately 36,400 as of 2002....
. These projects were approved and became the Toronto Island Airport and what is now Pearson International Airport. He also advocated the construction of the Mount Pleasant Road
Mount Pleasant Road
Mount Pleasant Road is a major arterial thoroughfare in the Canadian city of Toronto, Ontario that travels from Jarvis Street south of Bloor Street north to Glen Echo Drive. The road is unique as one of the few arterial roads in Toronto to be created after the development of the suburbs which it...
extension connecting it to Jarvis Street
Jarvis Street
Jarvis Street is a north-south thoroughfare in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, passing through some of the oldest developed areas in the city. Its alignment extends from Bloor Street in the north to Queens Quay East in the south. South of Front Street, it continues as Lower Jarvis Street...
in order to create a north-south alternative to Yonge Street
Yonge Street
Yonge Street is a major arterial route connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes. It was formerly listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest street in the world at , and the construction of Yonge Street is designated an "Event of...
.
From 1937 to 1943 he was an Ontario Liberal Party
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...
Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for the Toronto riding
Electoral district (Canada)
An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...
of St. David
St. David (electoral district)
St. David was a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that returned Members of Provincial Parliament to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario at Queen's Park. It was created in downtown Toronto in 1926 and was merged into the riding of St. George—St. David in 1987.-MPPs for St...
. He enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and once rose in the legislature to denounce Henry Ford
Henry Ford
Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...
for his lack of support for the Canadian war effort calling him a "black-hearted American Quisling". As a result he was transferred by the RCAF to the east coast and was unable to carry out his political duties contributing his electoral defeat in the 1943 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1943
The Ontario general election of 1943 was held on August 4, 1943, to elect the 90 Members of the 21st Legislative Assembly of Ontario of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
. He returned to city council in 1946 and campaigned for the provincial government of George Drew to permit the opening of cocktail bars in Toronto. In 1947, the legislature approved the opening of bars in cities with more than 100,000 people. In 1949 he was elected to the Board of Control for the first time.
In 1950, Lamport spearheaded a municipal plebiscite that approved the playing of sports on Sundays. Until then, playing fields and even swings were padlocked on the Lord's Day
Lord's Day
Lord's Day is a Christian name for Sunday, the day of communal worship. It is observed by most Christians as the weekly memorial of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is said in the four canonical Gospels of the New Testament to have been witnessed alive from the dead early on the first day of...
.
He was defeated in his first campaign for mayor in 1951 but won on his second attempt the next year. As mayor, Lamport encouraged the construction of Toronto's subway system which would be Canada's first when it opened in 1954. He also advocated the creation of Regent Park
Regent Park
Regent Park is a neighbourhood located in Old Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Regent Park is Canada's oldest and largest social housing project; built in the late 1940s. Formerly the centre of the Cabbagetown neighbourhood, it is bounded by Gerrard Street East to the north, River Street to the east,...
, Canada's first large scale public housing
Public housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...
project. Premier Leslie Frost
Leslie Frost
Leslie Miscampbell Frost, was a politician in Ontario, Canada, who served as the 16th Premier from May 4, 1949 to November 8, 1961. Due to his lengthy tenure, he gained the nickname "Old Man Ontario".-Early years:...
considered Lamport for the position of Chairman of the newly created Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto but he was not interested. Lamport resigned as mayor in 1954 to serve on the Toronto Transit Commission first as vice-chairman and then as chairman from 1955 to 1959 and recommended and won approval for the construction of the Bloor-Danforth subway line. Following a political scandal over control of the TTC, he clashed with then Metro Chairman Frederick Gardiner, and was nearly ousted from the TTC.
In 1960, he again ran for mayor but was defeated by Nathan Phillips
Nathan Phillips
Nathan Phillips is the name of:*Nathan Phillips , Canadian politician*Nathan Phillips Square, the plaza in front of Toronto, Ontario's City Hall named in honour of the above*Nathan Phillips , Australian actor...
. In 1964, he again ran for mayor and was defeated by Phil Givens. He subsequently returned to City Council again as a Controller and then as an alderman when the Board of Control was abolished. He famously opposed the hippies who populated the neighbourhood of Yorkville
Yorkville, Toronto
Yorkville is a district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, well known for its shopping. It is a former village, annexed by the City of Toronto. It is roughly bounded by Bloor Street to the south, Davenport Road to the north, Yonge Street to the east and Avenue Road to the west, and is considered part of...
pledging to drive them out of Toronto and encouraging police action against them and urged that the neighbourhood be demolished and replaced by a shopping mall. He clashed with David DePoe, spokesperson for the Yorkville hippies opposing DePoe's bid to address city council. The confrontation resulted in Lamport ordering police to remove the hippies from the city council chamber
In 1994, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
. Lamport Stadium
Lamport Stadium
Allan A. Lamport Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium on King Street West in the Liberty Village neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is used mostly for soccer. It was built in 1974 on the site of the notorious Andrew Mercer Reformatory for Women, opened in the fall of 1975 and holds 9,600...
in Toronto was named in his honour. His funeral was arranged through Ralph Day
Ralph Day
Ralph C. Day was Mayor of Toronto, Ontario from 1938 to 1940. He was also an accomplished funeral director, owning his own funeral home. He also served as chairman of the Toronto Transit Commission in the 1960s and 1970s....
Funeral Home and services were held at St. Paul's Anglican Church
St. Paul's, Bloor Street
The Church of St Paul's, Bloor Street, is a large parish of the Anglican Church of Canada in the Diocese of Toronto.Located in downtown Toronto near the denomination's national headquarters, the parish, along with Little Trinity Anglican Church, is one of historical flagship low church parishes of...
and he is buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery
Mount Pleasant Cemetery
Mount Pleasant Cemetery can refer to several different cemeteries, including:*Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto, Ontario, Canada*Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Taunton, Massachusetts, USA*Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Newark, New Jersey, USA...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
.
Quotations
Lamport was known as Metro's Goldwyn Mayor, a take on movie mogul Sam Goldwyn because both of them were known for their malapropismMalapropism
A malapropism is an act of misusing or the habitual misuse of similar sounding words, especially with humorous results. An example is Yogi Berra's statement: "Texas has a lot of electrical votes," rather than "electoral votes".-Etymology:...
s. He was quoted on many subjects. For example, on the subject of progress he said "All this progress is marvellous... now if only it would stop." On the future, he said "It's hard to make predictions - especially about the future." On achieving the impossible, he said "It's like pushing a car uphill with a rope."
Some of his quotes were related to political life. On being Mayor of Toronto, he said "Being Mayor of Toronto is like being a Prime Minister - without a cabinet or a majority." He once commented on Metro Chairman Fred Gardiner: "Trailing Fred Gardiner is like tracking a bleeding elephant through a fresh fall of snow."