Durham

Durham covers a wide swath of the eastern Greater Toronto Area, taking in the northern half of the City of Oshawa above Taunton Road, the western portion of the Municipality of Clarington -- including Bowmanville and Courtice -- and the entire Township of Scugog, centred on the lakeside village of Port Perry. The riding's geography transitions from the suburban subdivisions of Courtice and north Oshawa to the agricultural fields and shoreline communities of Scugog, where Lake Scugog and its surrounding wetlands define the landscape.

Candidates

Erin O'Toole (Conservative) -- A former captain in the Royal Canadian Air Force, O'Toole joined the military in 1991 and studied at the Royal Military College before serving as an air navigator on Sea King helicopters, earning the Sikorsky Helicopter Rescue Award. After leaving the forces, he earned a law degree from Dalhousie University's Schulich School of Law and practised corporate law at Stikeman Elliott and as in-house counsel for Procter & Gamble. First elected in a 2012 by-election, he briefly served as Minister of Veterans Affairs in 2015 and finished third in the 2017 Conservative leadership race.

Jonathan Giancroce (Liberal) -- An insurance underwriter and political science graduate of Ryerson University, Giancroce was a longtime Durham-area resident involved in community sports. He coached curling at Ontario Tech University and served as a local soccer coach.

Sarah Whalen-Wright (NDP) -- An elementary school teacher in Bowmanville, Whalen-Wright brought an education-sector perspective to the campaign and focused on affordability issues.

Evan Price (Green Party) -- Price ran as the Green Party candidate in Durham and advocated for establishing a constituency office in Scugog to serve voters in the riding's northern communities. He emphasized regional transit improvements as a priority for commuters.

Brenda Virtue (People's Party) -- Virtue stood as the People's Party of Canada candidate in Durham.

About the Riding

Durham's economy blended commuter employment -- many residents travelled west along Highway 401 to jobs in Oshawa, Whitby, and Toronto -- with local industry and energy production. Ontario Power Generation's Darlington Nuclear Generating Station, located in Clarington on the shore of Lake Ontario, was one of the country's largest nuclear facilities, producing roughly twenty percent of Ontario's electricity. The station was undergoing a multi-year refurbishment program during the campaign period, sustaining thousands of construction and engineering jobs in the region.

Bowmanville, Clarington's largest community, functioned as an administrative and commercial centre, and the broader municipality had experienced steady residential growth as Toronto-area homebuyers moved east in search of more affordable housing. This growth intensified demands for improved transit connections to the city, expanded local health services, and new school capacity.

Port Perry and Scugog Township, to the north, retained a rural character shaped by agriculture and seasonal tourism. Port Perry's restored nineteenth-century main street drew visitors year-round, while Lake Scugog supported recreational boating and fishing. The Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation reserve lies within the riding's boundaries. Rural broadband connectivity and services for an aging population were persistent concerns in the township.