1963 Edmonton municipal election

rdf:langString 1963 Edmonton municipal election

rdf:langString The 1963 municipal election was held October 16, 1963 to elect a mayor and six aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and four trustees to sit on each of the public and separate school boards. The electorate also decided three plebiscite questions. There were ten aldermen on city council, but four of the positions were already filled: Frederick John Mitchell, Ethel Wilson, Morris Weinlos, and Vincent Dantzer were all elected to two-year terms in 1962 and were still in office. George Prudham was also elected to a two-year term in 1961, but resigned. There were seven trustees on the public school board, but three of the positions were already filled: James Falconer, Milton Lazerte, and Helen Sinclair were elected to two-year terms in 1962 and were still in office. The same was true on the separate board, where Edward Stack, Jean McDonald, and Bill Diachuk were continuing. All elected officials were elected to one-year terms in this election, in preparation for the changeover to a new system, whereby elections would be held only every two years with all officials elected to two-year terms. In addition to choosing members for City Council, citizens were asked to vote on three plebiscites. Two of the plebiscites were related, asking if the city should borrow money to purchase a four city block parcel of land in downtown Edmonton, and if the city should borrow money to build a sports and convention complex on that land. These two plebiscites were rejected. The site under consideration, on the north side of Jasper Avenue, is now occupied by the Citadel Theatre (opened 1976), Sun Life Place (1978), and Canada Place (1988). Citizens did agree to a sports/convention centre in a 1968 plebiscite, but later rejected the specific 1970 Omniplex project plebiscite. The eventual (1983) scaled down Edmonton Convention Centre was built a few metres south of the 1963 proposal site, on the cliff side of Jasper Avenue.