Toronto—St. Paul's

Toronto—St. Paul's is a federal electoral district in midtown Toronto, Ontario. The by-election of June 24, 2024 was triggered by the resignation of Liberal MP Carolyn Bennett, who stepped down on January 16, 2024, upon her appointment as Canada's Ambassador to Denmark. Bennett had represented the riding since 1997, serving most recently as Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health.

Candidates

Don Stewart (Conservative) — Stewart holds an engineering degree and an MBA from Queen's University. He worked as a director at BMO Capital Markets and Morgan Stanley, and served as a consultant at the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization. He is a CFA Charterholder and licensed professional engineer who also served as an honorary lieutenant-colonel in the Canadian Armed Forces.

Leslie Church (Liberal) — Church is a lawyer and former chief of staff to Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland. She attended the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and practiced at a Toronto law firm before moving into government roles. She also held executive positions in the technology sector.

Amrit Parhar (NDP) — Parhar served as director of programs at the Institute for Change Leaders. She holds a bachelor's degree in criminology and a master's degree in immigration and settlement studies from Toronto Metropolitan University.

Christian Cullis (Green Party) — Cullis ran as the Green Party candidate in the riding.

About the Riding

Toronto—St. Paul's stretches across Toronto's affluent midtown core, bounded roughly by the Beltline Trail and the Canadian Pacific Railway corridor to the south, Eglinton Avenue to the north, Ossington Avenue and Winona Drive to the west, and Bayview Avenue to the east. The riding encompasses some of the city's most established neighbourhoods, including Forest Hill, Deer Park, Chaplin Estates, Davisville Village, Humewood-Cedarvale, and South Hill.

Forest Hill is one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in Canada, home to Upper Canada College and Bishop Strachan School, while the Cedarvale Ravine provides significant green space through the riding's centre. The Yonge-Eglinton intersection at the riding's northeastern corner is a rapidly densifying commercial and transit hub. The riding includes a significant Jewish community centred around the Forest Hill and Cedarvale neighbourhoods.

The population was approximately 125,400 in the 2021 census. The housing stock ranges from century-old mansions and Tudor-style homes to mid-rise apartment buildings along the major avenues. English is the mother tongue for roughly 65 percent of residents. The riding's median household income ranks well above the national average, reflecting its concentration of professionals in finance, law, healthcare, and education.