Ridings to watch as Ontario heads to polls

Ontario has 124 provincial ridings as it goes into a spring election. Here are some to watch.

DON VALLEY WEST

Her Liberals are lagging in the polls, but can Premier Kathleen Wynne secure a victory in her own riding? The veteran politician snatched the seat from the Tories in 2003 as the Liberals formed government, but 15 years later the party and its leader have seen their popularity drop dramatically. The riding has thwarted a party leader in the past — then-Progressive Conservative leader John Tory lost to Wynne in 2007, forcing him to run operations from outside the legislature.

ETOBICOKE NORTH

The west Toronto riding is the heart of so-called Ford Nation, the name given to supporters of Tory leader Doug Ford and his late brother, former Toronto mayor Rob Ford. Doug Ford, the elder of the two, represented roughly the same area during his single term on city council, which coincided with his brother’s mayoralty. Both brothers made headlines with their candid remarks and brash demeanour. Ford took over as PC leader after eking out a victory in a race sparked by Patrick Brown’s resignation amid allegations of sexual misconduct that he denies.

HAMILTON CENTRE

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath has held this riding since it was created in 2007, and the area has been a party stronghold for decades. Horwath is well-liked — at least one poll has suggested she is the most popular of the major party leaders — but she faced criticism from party stalwarts in the last election over her platform, which they deemed too centrist. This will be her third election campaign at the helm of the NDP.

HAMILTON WEST-ANCASTER-DUNDAS

The Progressive Conservative candidate, 26-year-old Ben Levitt, won the nomination a second time after his first victory was mired in allegations of fraud and ballot-stuffing that sparked a legal battle and a police investigation. The nomination contest was one of several reopened this winter after Ford took leadership of the party. Levitt is running against Liberal Ted McMeekin, a former cabinet minister who is the incumbent in the former riding of Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale.