June Rowlands
Encyclopedia
June Rowlands was the 60th mayor of Toronto, Ontario, and the first woman to hold that office. She had previously been a long time city councillor, unsuccessful federal candidate, and chair of the Metropolitan Toronto Police Commission
.
in 1976
when she was returned as the junior alderman for Ward 10 covering Rosedale and part of North Toronto. In 1978, she topped the vote in her ward becoming its senior alderman with the added duty of sitting on Metro Council
.
She attempted to enter federal politics by running for the Liberal Party of Canada
in the 1984 federal election
. She ran in the suburban riding of York—Scarborough
, far from her electoral base in the old City of Toronto, and was defeated by Progressive Conservative
Paul McCrossan
.
She remained on both Metro and Toronto city council until the 1988 municipal election
in which she did not run in order to accept an appointment as Chair of the Police Commission. She left the commission in 1991 to return to elected politics.
following a campaign that focused on law and order. The election began with a group of three right of centre women: Rowlands, Susan Fish
, and Betty Disero
. The left was mostly unified behind city councillor Jack Layton
. Eventually right wing support coalesced around Rowlands, and she was elected by a two to one margin over Layton.
Shortly after taking office, Rowlands came under fire by hiring a relative for a municipal position without either advertising the position or interviewing candidates.
Rowlands is perhaps best remembered (and blamed) for banning the Toronto pop group Barenaked Ladies
from performing at a City Hall function, claiming that the group's name objectified women. (Rowlands herself was out of town at the time and it was a mayoral staffer who thought the band's name objectified women.) The band benefited immensely from the incident and media attention and went on to great national and international success, but the issue became a bit of a cause celebre among many Toronto voters, who felt it an example of political correctness
run amok. Later in her term, Rowlands gained further notoriety when she seemed to be staggeringly uninformed about—and even completely unaware of—a large-scale youth riot that had shut down parts of Yonge Street
, Toronto's main street located just one block east of City Hall. This widely-reported incident did not help Rowlands shed her 'out-of-touch' image.
After one term in office, Rowlands was defeated in 1994
by Barbara Hall
, and retired from politics.
Toronto Police Services Board
The Toronto Police Services Board is the civilian oversight of the Toronto Police Service. It was called the Metropolitan Toronto Police Services Board from 1990 until 1998 and the Metropolitan Toronto Police Commission from 1955 until 1990 when the name of the body was changed as a result of...
.
Early political career
Rowlands was first elected to Toronto City CouncilToronto City Council
The Toronto City Council is the governing body of the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Members represent wards throughout the city, and are known as councillors....
in 1976
Toronto municipal election, 1976
The Toronto municipal election of 1976 was held on December 6, 1976 in Metropolitan Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Mayors, city councillors and school board trustees were elected in the municipalities of Toronto, York, East York, North York, Etobicoke and Scarborough.Toronto Mayor David Crombie and...
when she was returned as the junior alderman for Ward 10 covering Rosedale and part of North Toronto. In 1978, she topped the vote in her ward becoming its senior alderman with the added duty of sitting on Metro Council
Metro Council
Metro Council can refer to:*Louisville Metro Council in Louisville, Kentucky*Metropolitan Council in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, Minnesota*Metropolitan Council in Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee...
.
She attempted to enter federal politics by running for the Liberal Party of Canada
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
in the 1984 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1984
The Canadian federal election of 1984 was held on September 4 of that year to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 33rd Parliament of Canada...
. She ran in the suburban riding of York—Scarborough
York—Scarborough
York—Scarborough was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1953 to 1988. It was located in the province of Ontario...
, far from her electoral base in the old City of Toronto, and was defeated by Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
Paul McCrossan
Paul McCrossan
William Paul Joseph McCrossan is an actuary and former Canadian Member of Parliament.-Background:McCrossan was born in Toronto. An actuary by profession, McCrossan has served as president of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries...
.
She remained on both Metro and Toronto city council until the 1988 municipal election
Toronto municipal election, 1988
The 1988 Toronto municipal election was held to elect members of municipal councils, school boards, and hydro commissions in the six municipalities that made up Metropolitan Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The election was held November 14, 1988.-Metro:...
in which she did not run in order to accept an appointment as Chair of the Police Commission. She left the commission in 1991 to return to elected politics.
Mayor of Toronto
Rowlands was elected mayor in 1991Toronto municipal election, 1991
The 1991 Toronto municipal election was held on November 12, 1991 to elect councillors in Metropolitan Toronto, Canada, and mayors, councillors and school trustees in Toronto, York, East York, North York, Scarborough and Etobicoke....
following a campaign that focused on law and order. The election began with a group of three right of centre women: Rowlands, Susan Fish
Susan Fish
Susan Fish is a former Canadian politician. She served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1981 to 1987, and was a cabinet minister in the governments of Bill Davis and Frank Miller....
, and Betty Disero
Betty Disero
Betty Disero is a former city councillor in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She was elected to the Toronto City Council in 1985, and served until her resignation in 2003.-Early life and career:...
. The left was mostly unified behind city councillor Jack Layton
Jack Layton
John Gilbert "Jack" Layton, PC was a Canadian social democratic politician and the Leader of the Official Opposition. He was the leader of the New Democratic Party from 2003 to 2011, and previously sat on Toronto City Council, serving at times during that period as acting mayor and deputy mayor of...
. Eventually right wing support coalesced around Rowlands, and she was elected by a two to one margin over Layton.
Shortly after taking office, Rowlands came under fire by hiring a relative for a municipal position without either advertising the position or interviewing candidates.
Rowlands is perhaps best remembered (and blamed) for banning the Toronto pop group Barenaked Ladies
Barenaked Ladies
Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian alternative rock band. The band is currently composed of Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson, and Tyler Stewart. Barenaked Ladies formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario, then a suburban municipality outside the City of Toronto...
from performing at a City Hall function, claiming that the group's name objectified women. (Rowlands herself was out of town at the time and it was a mayoral staffer who thought the band's name objectified women.) The band benefited immensely from the incident and media attention and went on to great national and international success, but the issue became a bit of a cause celebre among many Toronto voters, who felt it an example of political correctness
Political correctness
Political correctness is a term which denotes language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social and institutional offense in occupational, gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, certain other religions, beliefs or ideologies, disability, and age-related contexts,...
run amok. Later in her term, Rowlands gained further notoriety when she seemed to be staggeringly uninformed about—and even completely unaware of—a large-scale youth riot that had shut down parts of 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...
, Toronto's main street located just one block east of City Hall. This widely-reported incident did not help Rowlands shed her 'out-of-touch' image.
After one term in office, Rowlands was defeated in 1994
Toronto municipal election, 1994
The 1994 Toronto municipal election was held in November 1994 to elect councillors in Metropolitan Toronto, Canada, and mayors, councillors and school trustees in Toronto, York, East York, North York, Scarborough and Etobicoke....
by Barbara Hall
Barbara Hall
Barbara Hall is a Canadian lawyer, public servant and former politician. She was the 61st mayor of Toronto, the last to run before amalgamation. She was elected mayor of the pre-amalgamation City of Toronto in 1994, and held office until December 31, 1997...
, and retired from politics.