Scarborough Centre

Scarborough Centre is an urban riding in the heart of Scarborough, centred on the Scarborough Town Centre mall and civic complex. It stretches from Eglinton Avenue in the south to Highway 401 in the north, and includes the neighbourhoods of Bendale, Wexford, Ionview, Dorset Park, and portions of the Golden Mile commercial corridor along Eglinton Avenue East.

Candidates

Salma Zahid (Liberal) — Born in the United Kingdom and raised in Pakistan, Zahid immigrated to Canada in the late 1990s and settled in Scarborough. She held a Master's degree in educational management from the University of London's Institute of Education and an MBA from Quaid-e-Azam University, and had worked as a senior public servant with the Government of Ontario and as a community organizer focused on supporting women, families, and youth. She was a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Roxanne James (Conservative) — The incumbent MP, James was first elected in 2011 after two previous attempts in 2006 and 2008. A former real estate agent and systems analyst, she served during the 41st Parliament as parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Public Safety.

Alex Wilson (NDP) — A pastor based in Scarborough, Wilson represented the NDP in a riding where the party sought to establish a stronger foothold in suburban Toronto.

Lindsay Thompson (Green Party) — Thompson carried the Green Party banner in Scarborough Centre, advocating for environmental policy in a riding dominated by urban development concerns.

About the Riding

Scarborough Centre's geography is defined by the Scarborough Town Centre, a major commercial and transit hub that serves as the eastern anchor of the Scarborough RT line. The riding's population is among the most diverse in the Greater Toronto Area, and its average individual income ranked among the lowest in Ontario according to the 2011 National Household Survey. Public transit was a persistent local concern: the future of the Scarborough RT, which was nearing the end of its operational lifespan, generated intense debate among all levels of government. Plans to replace it—whether with a subway extension, light rail, or some other technology—remained unresolved heading into the 2015 campaign. Housing affordability and access to social services were also prominent issues in a riding where many residents lived in aging apartment towers along the Markham Road and Lawrence Avenue corridors.