FLAMBOROUGH-GLANBROOK

RIDING POPULATION HAS GROWN TO MORE THAN 125,000 PEOPLE

As Flamborough prepares to go to the polls June 2, the Review breaks down the population and household demographics of the riding, the candidates, the main issues at stake and the background in the area.

THE RIDING

The Flamborough-Glanbrook riding was created in 2018 and encompasses parts of the former AncasterDundas-FlamboroughWestdale, Hamilton Mountain and Niagara West— Glanbrook ridings.

The riding has an area of 899 square kilometres, wrapping around the rural areas of the City of Hamilton. In 2018, the riding population — taken from the 2016 census — was 111,070.

However, 2021 census data for the federal Flamborough-Glanbrook riding — which shares its boundaries with the provincial district — shows the has grown by 13.2 per cent to 125,692 — 62,115 men and 63,580 women.

According to a breakdown of the data, the largest population group is the 35-39-year-old range, followed by 55-59 years of age. The majority of the population — 64.5 per cent — is aged 15-64.

The average age of the population is 39.5 and the median age is 39.6.

In terms of dwelling type, there are 42,620 occupied private dwellings — the majority of which, 29,790, are single-detached homes. There are 9,580 row houses and 1,815 apartments.

Meanwhile, in terms of household size, the majority are two-person households — 13,340, followed by 9,070 four-person homes, 7,540 three-person homes, 6,800 one-person homes and 5,780 homes with fiveor-more people.

A total of 124,850 people live in private households.

THE RACE

Seven candidates are registered in the June 2 election locally. They include:

• Allison Cillis (NDP)

• Walt Juchniewicz (Ontario Party)

• Nikita Mahood (Populist Ontario)

• Mario Portak (Green)

• Paul Simoes (New Blue)

• incumbent Donne Skelly (PC)

• Melisse Willems (Liberal).

THE ISSUES

The top issues in Flamborough-Glanbrook

mirror those in the rest of the province, including the rising cost of living and inflation, housing and rental housing affordability, and concerns about the environment and climate change — particularly as it relates to sprawl and the Greenbelt.

Other concerns include equity and diversity in an increasingly diverse community and growth — particularly as it relates to the urban boundary and sprawl.

Access to reliable broadband internet also remains an issue in the rural areas of the riding.

THE BACKGROUND

Progressive Conservative Donna Skelly captured the riding with 22,454 votes — or 43.53 per cent of the vote — in 2018, the first time the newly-created riding was contested. NDP candidate Melissa McGlashan was second with 17,630 votes, while Liberal Judi Partridge was third with 7,967 votes.

The field was rounded

out by Green Party candidate Janet Errygers with 2,307 votes, Libertarian Glenn Langton with 541, None of the Above candidate Rudy Miller with 451 and Trillium candidate Roman Sarachman with 238.

In the previous Ancaster-Dundas-FlamboroughWestdale riding, Liberal Ted McMeekin won three consecutive terms in 2007, 2011 and 2014.

Meanwhile, Niagara West-Glanbrook — a portion

of which became Flamborough-Glanbrook — was held by the Progressive Conservatives for three terms, with Tim Hudak winning in 2007, 2011 and 2014, before PC candidate Sam Oosterhoff was elected in a 2016 byelection.

Flamborough-Glanbrook was also created from a portion of the Hamilton Mountain riding, which has been held by the NDP's Monique Taylor for three terms, since 2011.