Allan A. Lamport

Allan Austin Lamport, (April 4, 1903 – November 18, 1999) was mayor of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, from 1951 to 1954. Known as "Lampy", his most notable achievement was his opposition to Toronto's Blue laws 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.

Political life He first sat on Toronto City Council in 1937. A licensed pilot, he urged the city to build airports on Toronto Island and in Malton, Ontario. 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".

In 1960, he again ran for mayor but was defeated by Nathan Phillips; in 1962 he won election to the Board of Control. In 1964, he again ran for mayor and was defeated by Philip Givens. He returned to City Council again in 1966 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, unofficial 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 and Christopher's Movie Matinée.

In 1994, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada. Lamport Stadium in Toronto and the Allan A. Lamport Regatta Course on Toronto Island are 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.

Quotations Lamport was known as Metro's Goldwyn Mayor, a take on movie mogul Sam Goldwyn because both of them were known for their malapropisms. 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."