London West

London West is an urban riding covering the northwestern portion of the City of London in southwestern Ontario. The riding is bounded roughly by Wonderland Road to the east, the Thames River and the CN rail line to the south, and the city limits to the north and west. It takes in established suburban neighbourhoods including Byron, Oakridge, and Westmount, as well as newer residential developments on London’s western fringe.

Candidates

Ed Holder (Conservative) — The incumbent MP, first elected in 2008, Holder was born and raised in Toronto and graduated from the University of Western Ontario in 1976. He built a career in the insurance industry, joining Stevenson & Hunt Insurance Brokers as a partner in 1995 and becoming president four years later. Under his leadership, the firm expanded with offices in Toronto, Cambridge, and Waterloo. He served as president of the board of the London Chamber of Commerce before entering federal politics.

Doug Ferguson (Liberal) — Ferguson grew up on a farm near Watford, Ontario, and earned a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Ottawa and a law degree from the University of Western Ontario. He practised civil litigation and estates law in London for twenty years before joining Western’s Faculty of Law as an adjunct professor and director of Community Legal Services. He served as president of the Covent Garden Market board, overseeing the construction of its new building. In 2008, he was elected president of the Liberal Party of Canada, serving until 2009 and co-chairing the party’s Change Commission after the 2008 election.

Peter Ferguson (NDP) carried the NDP banner in the riding.

Brad Arthur Corbett (Green Party) and Rod Morley (United Party) also appeared on the ballot.

About the Riding

London West encompasses some of the city’s more affluent and established suburban neighbourhoods, with a population of approximately 114,000. The riding’s character is predominantly residential, with commercial nodes along Oxford Street, Wonderland Road, and other arterial corridors. The neighbourhoods of Byron and Oakridge feature mature tree-lined streets and higher household incomes relative to London’s eastern ridings.

The riding’s economy is closely tied to London’s broader economic base of health care, insurance and financial services, education, and manufacturing. Many residents commuted to jobs in the downtown core, at the London Health Sciences Centre, or at the University of Western Ontario in the adjacent London North Centre riding. The insurance and financial services sector was a particularly significant employer, with several firms headquartered in the city.

Heading into 2011, London West was a competitive riding that had swung between Liberal and Conservative representation. Key local concerns included the health of London’s manufacturing sector, which had shed thousands of jobs in the preceding years, transportation infrastructure, and the future of health care delivery in southwestern Ontario. The riding’s mix of professional households and suburban families made it a bellwether for broader political trends in the London area.