PCs win in former Liberal stronghold
Liberal candidate for Scarborough Centre Mazhar Shafiq trailed both the Conservative and NDP candidates.
As AA of 9: 30 p. m. with about 40 per cent of the votes, PC Christina Mitas was positioned to win ww in Scarborough Centre, a Liberal stronghold since 2003, where ww residents key concerns a are transit, affordable housing, health care and jobs.
The NDP’s Zeyd Bismilla, was a close second with about 34 per cent and the Liberal’s Mazhar Shafiq trailing at 20 per cent with ww the Green Party’s Sanjin Zeco at 2.6.
Voters here have been picking provincial party winners since 1971.
It’s faced an economic downturn in recent years with a 9.4 per cent unemployment rate and average household incomes sinking well below provincial and federal levels.
Culturally diverse, with a 54 per cent immigrant population, it is bounded by Victoria Park Ave. AAn orth, on McCowan the west, Highway Rd., Lawrence 401 Ave. E., and Bellamy Rd. on the east, with Eglinton Ave. E. as its southern border.
This is where the Scarborough Civic Centre, Scarborough Town Centre shopping mall and aa the TTC’s Line 3 station ( formerly Scarborough Centre RT) RR are situated in a suburban a area made up of several neigh- bourhoods and served by a vast number of small businesses along its major roads.
Outgoing Liberal MPP Brad Duguid, who was not seeking re- election after announcing his retirement as Ontario’s Economic Development Minister last September, had won in the last four Ontario elections, netting 55 per cent of the vote in 2014.
Candidates for all four main parties ran as newcomers in this election.
Canvassing the riding they all heard constituents’ pleas for better jobs and pay, improved health care and social services, and a a transit network expan- sion, equal to other areas of the city that Scarborough Centre residents feel are getting far better service.