Community News

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT MARKHAM-STOUFFVILLE RIDING

SIMON MARTIN smar tin@yrmg.com

As we get nearer to the provincial election June 2, here's what you need to know about the riding of Markham-stouffville.

THE RIDING:

The riding takes in Whitchurch-stouffville, as well as an easterly portion of Markham. From Stouffville, the boundary follows Highway 48 south into Markham until 16th Avenue, where it goes west to Mccowan Road. From there, the boundary heads south to Highway 407, where it roughly follows the Rouge River to the southeasterly limit of Markham.

More than 126,064 residents live in the riding and more than 96,097 of those are eligible voters. The average age of residents is 39.

The average household income is about $125,000, higher than the national average. THE RACE: CONSERVATIVE: Paul Calandra.

The incumbent MPP has served as government house leader and the minister of long-term care and minister of legislative affairs. Before serving at Queen's Park, Calandra was MP for the Oak Ridges-markham riding from 2008 to 2015 serving various cabinet posts for the Stephen Harper led Conservative government.

NDP: Kingsley Kwok. Kwok is no stranger to the Markhamstouffville riding. He ran for the Ontario NDP in Markham Stouffville in 2018, getting 20.4 per cent of the vote. Kwok is a respiratory therapist in the critical care and emergency departments at Scarborough General Hospital. He is also co-founder of the Scarborough Health Coalition, a group committed to protecting local health-care services from funding cuts.

LIBERAL: Kelly Dunn. Dunn has been a high school history teacher for over 20 years and lives in Markham with her husband and three children. As a teacher, education is of particular importance to Dunn especially providing support for students with learning disabilities.

GREEN PARTY: Myles O'brien.

NEW BLUE: Jennifer Gowland. Gowland is is the founder and CEO of Elite Marketing and Concierge Services.

ONTARIO PARTY: Michele Petit. Petit has lived in Stouffville with her family for 17 years. During that time she has volunteered with youth and children at local churches, participated in bake sales in support of the Markham Unionville Minor Basketball Association (MUMBA), and volunteered in support of the elderly via the Alzheimer Society of York Region.

THE ISSUES:

The handling of the COVID-19 pandemic by the Doug Ford government will be a key issue in the 2022 elections. Other issues that are front and centre in Markhamstouffville are pocketbook matters with rising inflation and affordable housing, as home prices skyrocket across the region.

BACKGROUND:

The riding was created for the 2015 federal election after the Oak Ridges—markham riding was split due to having too much population.

The riding finds itself in the York Region portion of the Rouge National Urban Park and is home to Markham Stouffville Hospital.

Conservative Paul Calandra was the first person elected MPP in the Markham-stouffville Riding in 2018. He defeated Liberal Helena Jaczek, collecting 48 per cent of the vote. The Liberals have won three federal elections in the riding, Jane Philpott in 2015 and Jaczek in 2019 and 2021.

PROVINCIAL ELECTION

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2022-05-19T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-05-19T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://communitynews.pressreader.com/article/281573769303175

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