Who won in 13 notable Greater Toronto Area ridings

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TORONTO — Throughout the 2021 federal election campaign, political leaders have spent significant time in the Greater Toronto Area trying to drum up support for local candidates and secure seats in what experts call a pivotal region in Canada. But, heading to the polls, there were still a number of ridings where anything can happen.

Here is a list of who won in 13 of the GTA's most notable ridings:

TORONTO CENTRE

Winner: Liberal incumbent Marci Ien beats out Green Party Leader Annamie Paul in Toronto Centre.

Where is this riding?

This riding covers the heart of downtown Toronto, including areas like Regent Park, St. James Town and Church and Wellesley.

Why is it notable?

The battle for Toronto-Centre was set to be a rematch of the 2020 byelection, pitting Liberal incumbent Marci Ien against Green Leader Annamie Paul. Prior to 2020, the riding was represented by Liberal MP and Finance Minister Bill Morneau, who resigned his seat after admitting to accepting gifts and having ties to the WE Charity.

The Liberals have held on to Toronto-Centre since 1993.

TORONTO-ST. PAUL’S

Winner: Liberal incumbent Carolyn Bennett has been re-elected in Toronto-St. Paul's.

Where is this riding?

This riding encompasses a good chunk of Toronto’s midtown, including Deer Park, Davisville Village and Humewood Cedarvale, as well as part of Forest Hill.

Why is it notable?

Liberal candidate Carolyn Bennett, who has held the riding since 1997 when it was previous known simply as “St. Paul’s”, kept her seat. Sidney Coles, the NDP candidate for the riding, resigned after anti-Semitic social media posts were discovered. Her name remained on the ballot.

MILTON

Winner: Liberal Adam van Koeverden has been re-elected in Milton.

Where is this riding?

This riding includes the town of Milton and a northern portion of Burlington, and is on the edge of the Niagara Escarpment.

Why is it notable?

In 2019, Liberal Adam van Koeverden, a former Olympian, beat out Conservative incumbent Lisa Raitt, who had been an MP for the area since 2008. It was van Koeverden’s first year in politics.

MISSISSAUGA-MALTON

Winner: Liberal Iqwinder Gaheer has won the riding of Mississauga-Malton.

Where is this riding?

This riding is in the northeast corner of Mississauga and is bordered roughly by Eglington Avenue East to the south, the Brampton-Mississauga border to the north, Creditview Road to the west and the Toronto-Mississauga border to the east.

Why is it notable?

Incumbent Liberal MP Navdeep Bains, who won the seat in 2015 and 2019, is not running this year. Having won with 57 per cent of the vote in the last federal election, Bains remains a strong presence in the riding. While his absence opened up opportunities for a potential shift, experts said that Bains’ legacy may continue to influence results come election day.

DAVENPORT

**Race is still too close to call

Where is this riding?

This downtown riding includes parts of west-end Toronto, including neighbourhoods such as Fairbank, Oakwood-Vaughan, Dovercourt Village, Bloordale Village and Corso Italia.

Why is it notable?

Davenport was a Liberal stronghold for about 50 years before a NDP candidate won the seat during the 2011 orange wave. In 2015, Liberal candidate Julie Dzerowicz stole the riding back and was re-elected in 2019. She is running again this year.

DURHAM

Winner: Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole reclaimed his seat in Durham.

Where is this riding?

This riding consists of a part of the City of Oshawa lying northerly of Taunton Road West and Taunton Road East, the Township of Scugog, and a part of the Municipality of Clarington.

Why is it notable?

Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole reclaimed his seat on election day. The riding has voted for the Conservative Party since 2006. O’Toole first won his seat in a byelection in 2012 and then proceeded to be voted in by his constituents the following two federal elections.

TORONTO-DANFORTH

Winner: Liberal incumbent Julie Dabrusin is re-elected in Toronto-Danforth for a third term.

Where is this riding?

This riding lies east of downtown Toronto and is bordered by the Don River on the west, Taylor Creek on the north and Coxwell Boulevard and Coxwell Avenue on the east.

Why is it notable?

Former NDP Leader Jack Layton held this riding from 2004 until 2011. The NDP held on to the riding until the 2015 election, when Liberal MP Julie Dabrusin won against incumbent Craig Scott by no more than 1,206 votes. Dabrusin won again in 2019.

UNIVERSITY-ROSEDALE

Winner: Liberal incumbent Chrystia Freeland has been re-elected for a third term.

Where is this riding?

This riding includes the entire University of Toronto campus, as well as a number of high-income neighbourhoods, such as Rosedale and Yorkville.

Why is it notable?

The riding was first established in 2015 and since then it has been held by Liberal Chrystia Freeland. Freeland took over the portfolio of Canada’s minister of finance in August 2020 and has held the position of Deputy Prime Minister since November 2019.

ETOBICOKE NORTH

Winner: Liberal incumbant Kirsty Duncan was re-elected.

Where is this riding?

The riding is part of the City of Toronto and its boundaries are Steeles Avenue West to the north, the Humber River to the east, Dixon Road to the south and Renforth Drive to the west.

Why is it notable?

Etobicoke North has been a Liberal stronghold since 1988. Incumbent Kirsty Duncan, who has been Deputy House Leader of the government since November 2019, has held the seat since 2008. In the last federal election, she won with 61.4 per cent of the vote.

SCARBOROUGH-SOUTHWEST

Winnter: Liberal incumbent Bill Blair has been re-elected.

Where is this riding?

The riding is part of the City of Toronto, with boundaries along Eglinton Avenue West, Markham Road and Victoria Park Avenue.

Why is it notable?

Liberal Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair kept his seat for a second term, but the riding of Scarborough-Southwest has historically flip-flopped between Liberals and the NDP. Blair, a former Toronto police chief, has been a key player when it comes to federal policies surrounding gun violence in the city.

THORNHILL

Winner: Conservative Melissa Lantsman has been elected in Thornhill.

Where is this riding?

This riding covers the Thornhill neighbourhood, which is split between Vaughan and Markham.

Why is it notable?

Conservative MP Peter Kent, who has held the riding since 2008, is not running this year. Running in his stead was Melissa Lantsman, who has held senior roles in the national campaigns for more than 10 years, but has never held an elected position.

SPADINA-FORT YORK

Winner: CTV News is projecting that Kevin Vuong, the former federal Liberal candidate for Spadina- Fort York, will defeat the NDP’s Norm di Pasquale

Where is this riding?

This Toronto riding’s boundaries are roughly along Mill Street, The Esplanade, Bay Street to the east, Dundas Street to the north, Dufferin Street and Dovercourt Road to the west.

Why is it notable?

Incumbent Adam Vaughan announced in early August that he would not be seeking re-election. Vaughan, a former Toronto city councillor, won his first federal election in 2015, beating out NDP’s Olivia Chow. He won again in 2019. Liberal candidate Kevin Vuong is running in his place, but was asked last week to pause his campaign amid reports of a sexual assault charge from 2019 that was later withdrawn. This past weekend, the Liberal Party said Vuong is no longer running under its party banner and won't sit with its caucus if elected. He was running against Norm Di Pasquale, Toronto Catholic School board trustee for Ward 9.

DON VALLEY EAST

Winner: Liberal Michael Coteau is elected in Don Valley East.

Where is this riding?

The North York riding of Don Valley East can be found between Leslie Street,Victoria Park Avenue and Highway 401.

Why is it notable?

Liberal Michael Coteau, who lost out in his bid to lead the Ontario party at Queen’s Park after coming second to Stephen Del Duca, decided to run for a seat at Parliament. While Coteau is representing the incumbent party, he is not the incumbent. Yasmin Ratansi won in 2019 as a member of the Liberal Party, but she quit the caucus after it was discovered that she had given a job to her sister in her constituency office. She won in 2019 with 59.8 per cent of the vote.