Vaughan

The riding of Vaughan covered the western and northern portions of the City of Vaughan, a fast-growing municipality in York Region immediately north of Toronto. The riding consisted of the part of the city west of Highway 400 or north of Rutherford Road, encompassing the communities of Woodbridge, Kleinburg, and the northern portions of Maple. It was bounded by Peel Region to the west and extended north into the more rural fringes of the city approaching King Township.

Candidates

Julian Fantino (Conservative) — Fantino was the sitting MP for Vaughan, having won the seat in a November 2010 by-election that attracted national attention as the Conservatives captured what had been a Liberal stronghold for over two decades. Born in Italy in 1942, he emigrated to Canada at age eleven. Fantino had a nearly four-decade career in law enforcement, serving as Chief of the London Police Service, Chief of York Regional Police, and Chief of the Toronto Police Service from 2000 to 2005. He was appointed Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police in 2006 and served until 2010. He was named Minister of State for Seniors in January 2011, shortly after his by-election win.

Mario Ferri (Liberal) — Ferri was born in Pescosolido, Frosinone, Italy, in 1948 and immigrated to Canada via Halifax's Pier 21 in 1959. He attended Neil McNeil High School in Toronto, graduated from Centennial College with a diploma in Recreation Leadership, earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and sociology from York University, and completed a master's degree in Environmental Studies from York. Ferri moved to Vaughan in 1984 and was first elected to Vaughan City Council as Ward 1 Councillor in the 1997 municipal election, subsequently winning re-election multiple times. He also served on York Regional Council. He entered the 2011 race as the Liberal candidate seeking to reclaim the seat.

Mark Pratt (NDP) — Pratt carried the NDP banner in the riding for the 2011 election.

Claudia Rodriguez-Larrain (Green Party) — Rodriguez-Larrain was the Green Party candidate in Vaughan.

About the Riding

Vaughan was one of the fastest-growing municipalities in the Greater Toronto Area, with a 2011 census population of approximately 288,000 across the entire city. The riding encompassed some of the city's most established communities and its most rapidly developing edges. Woodbridge, the largest community in the riding, was the heart of Vaughan's substantial Italian-Canadian population, which comprised over a third of the city's residents. The community was home to a dense network of Italian bakeries, restaurants, banquet halls, and cultural institutions. Kleinburg, a historic village in the riding's northwest, was known for the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, a gallery specializing in the Group of Seven and Indigenous art.

The riding's economy was driven by construction, real estate development, manufacturing, and small business. Vaughan had emerged as a major hub for construction and building-trades companies, with many firms headquartered in the industrial parks along Highway 7 and Highway 400. Canada's Wonderland, the country's largest theme park, was located in the riding near the community of Maple and was a major seasonal employer and tourism draw. The Vaughan Mills shopping centre, which opened in 2004, had become a significant retail destination.

Residential development was surging heading into 2011, with new subdivisions extending northward and intensification occurring along the Highway 7 corridor. The planned Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, intended to become the city's downtown core around the future terminus of the Toronto-York Spadina subway extension, was a major topic of local debate. Transportation infrastructure, including commuter traffic on Highway 400 and the future subway connection to Toronto, was a top concern for residents. The riding also grappled with questions about farmland preservation on its rural northern fringe and the pace of suburban sprawl.