Newmarket—Aurora

Newmarket—Aurora sits in northern York Region, roughly fifty kilometres north of downtown Toronto along the Yonge Street corridor. The riding encompasses the Town of Newmarket, the northern portion of the Town of Aurora above Wellington Street, and a small section of East Gwillimbury south of Green Lane. Both Newmarket and Aurora predate Confederation and retain historic village cores, though the surrounding landscape has been transformed by suburban growth since the 1990s as the Greater Toronto Area expanded northward.

Candidates

Tony Van Bynen (Liberal) — Born in the Netherlands in 1950, Van Bynen immigrated to Canada in 1952 and grew up on a family farm near London, Ontario. He moved to Newmarket in 1980 to work as a bank branch manager and spent three decades in the banking sector. He was elected to Newmarket Town Council in 2000 and served as mayor from 2006 to 2018, during which time he was instrumental in creating Belinda's Place, a multi-purpose facility for homeless and at-risk women.

Lois Brown (Conservative) — A businesswoman and consultant, Brown represented Newmarket—Aurora in Parliament from 2008 to 2015 after running unsuccessfully in 2006. During her time in office, Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed her as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Cooperation. She was acclaimed as the Conservative candidate in March 2018 in her bid to reclaim the seat.

Yvonne Kelly (NDP) — A community development specialist with a master's degree in social work, Kelly supported vulnerable people through her work with the York Region District School Board. She co-founded the Step and Blended Family Institute, a private practice focused on counselling and education, and co-authored York Region's first social audit examining challenges faced by low-income families. She ran for the NDP in Newmarket—Aurora for the second consecutive election.

Walter Bauer (Green Party) — A professional engineer and longtime Aurora resident, Bauer graduated from the University of Waterloo and worked for two decades in the construction industry before founding his own consulting firm in 2001. He specialized in analyzing cost overruns as an expert witness.

Dorian Baxter (PC Party) — A perennial candidate and religious minister based in Newmarket, Baxter ran under the Progressive Canadian Party banner. He incorporated the music and style of Elvis Presley into his church services and founded Christ the King Graceland Independent Anglican Church of Canada in 2003.

Andrew McCaughtrie ran for the People's Party and Laurie Goble represented the Rhinoceros Party.

About the Riding

Southlake Regional Health Centre, a major hospital serving communities across northern York Region and southern Simcoe County, is one of the riding's most important institutions and a significant local employer. Newmarket's Main Street South, designated as a Heritage Conservation District in 2013, retains a traditional commercial strip of independent shops and restaurants. Aurora's heritage core along Yonge Street features Victorian-era buildings. Auto parts manufacturer Magna International, one of the world's largest automotive suppliers, is headquartered in Aurora and is the largest industrial employer in the area. Upper Canada Mall at Yonge and Davis Drive anchors the riding's modern retail core. GO Transit's Barrie line serves both communities with commuter rail stations in Newmarket and Aurora providing access to Toronto. In 2019, affordable housing, healthcare capacity at Southlake, and transit connectivity were the dominant local issues. The long-discussed extension of the Yonge subway line northward from Toronto remained a top priority for commuters dependent on GO Transit and Highway 404.