June Rowlands
| June Rowlands | |
|---|---|
| 60th Mayor of Toronto | |
|
In office December 1, 1991 – November 30, 1994 |
|
| Preceded by | Art Eggleton |
| Succeeded by | Barbara Hall |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1925 (age 91–92) |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Political party | Liberal |
| June Rowlands Park | |
|---|---|
| Location | 220 Davisville Ave, North Toronto (Davisville Village) |
| Coordinates | 43°42′02″N 79°23′18″W / 43.70056°N 79.38833°W |
| Created | 1923 |
| Operated by | Toronto Parks |
| Website | June Rowlands Park |
June Rowlands (born 1925) was the 60th mayor of Toronto, Ontario, and the first woman to hold that office. She had previously been a longtime city councillor, unsuccessful federal candidate, and chair of the Metropolitan Toronto Police Commission.
Rowlands was first elected to Toronto City Council 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.
Rowlands was elected mayor in 1991 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.
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