Mississauga South

Mississauga South stretches along the Lake Ontario waterfront in the southern portion of the City of Mississauga, from the mouth of the Credit River eastward to the Etobicoke Creek boundary and westward toward the city limits. The riding encompasses the lakefront neighbourhoods of Port Credit, Lorne Park, Clarkson, Lakeview, Mineola, and Sheridan, as well as portions of the Southdown industrial area. Port Credit's harbour and marina anchor the riding's most prominent village centre.

Candidates

Stella Ambler (Conservative) — The daughter of Italian immigrants, Ambler grew up in Etobicoke and Brampton and graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in psychology. She worked as a political advisor in the Ontario government before stepping away from her career to raise her children for nine years. She subsequently served as Director of Regional Affairs for the Greater Toronto Area to the Minister responsible for Ontario, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty. Ambler had previously run for the Conservatives in the 2008 election in the riding of Bramalea—Gore—Malton, where she was unsuccessful.

Paul Szabo (Liberal) — The incumbent MP, Szabo had represented Mississauga South since 1993, making him one of the longest-serving members in the riding's history. A graduate of the University of Western Ontario with a Bachelor of Science, he earned his chartered accountant designation while working at Price Waterhouse in the early 1970s and later completed an MBA at York University. His corporate career included positions as Director of Finance at TransCanada Pipelines and Corporate Treasurer at United Cooperative of Ontario before he opened a private accounting practice in Mississauga. In Parliament, Szabo was recognized by his fellow MPs as the hardest-working Member of Parliament for three consecutive years from 2006 to 2008, and he was known for championing children's issues and family policy.

Farah Kalbouneh (NDP) — Kalbouneh ran as the NDP candidate in the riding during the party's national surge under Jack Layton. Detailed biographical information about Kalbouneh from this period is limited.

Paul Simas ran for the Green Party and Richard Barrett ran as an independent.

About the Riding

Mississauga South is distinguished from the rest of the city by its proximity to Lake Ontario and its collection of historic village cores. Port Credit, originally a separate town before amalgamation into Mississauga, retains a walkable main street along Lakeshore Road with restaurants, shops, and a public marina at the mouth of the Credit River. Lorne Park is an established upscale residential area known for its large lots and mature tree canopy, while Clarkson offers a mix of older homes and a revitalizing village centre around its GO Transit station.

The riding's eastern end includes the former industrial area of Lakeview, site of a decommissioned Ontario Power Generation coal-fired power plant that was a subject of redevelopment planning by 2011. Sheridan Park is home to a research and technology campus that has hosted corporate laboratories and offices for firms in the energy and chemicals sectors. The QEW highway runs through the riding, connecting its residential neighbourhoods to both Toronto and the Niagara region.

Szabo had held the seat through five consecutive elections, building a strong personal vote in a riding that combined affluent lakefront communities in Lorne Park and Mineola with more modest neighbourhoods in Clarkson and Lakeview. Heading into 2011, waterfront redevelopment, transit improvements to the Lakeshore GO line, and the future of the Lakeview generating station site were prominent local issues.