Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill

Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill sits in York Region, north of Toronto, encompassing portions of the towns of Aurora and Richmond Hill. The riding is bounded roughly by Bathurst Street to the west, Highway 404 to the east, Wellington Street to the north, and Elgin Mills Road to the south. It is a suburban riding characterized by established residential neighbourhoods, newer subdivisions, and pockets of protected green space along the Oak Ridges Moraine — a geological formation that serves as a critical groundwater recharge area for southern Ontario.

The riding is one of the most ethnically diverse in the Greater Toronto Area. Immigrants make up approximately 49 percent of the population, with large communities originating from China, Iran, and Hong Kong. The most common non-official languages include Mandarin, Cantonese, and Persian. Religious affiliations are similarly varied — roughly 42 percent Christian, 12 percent Muslim, 4 percent Jewish, and smaller Hindu and Buddhist communities.

Candidates

Leah Taylor Roy (Liberal) — Born in Newmarket and a graduate of the University of Toronto (Bachelor of Commerce) and Harvard University (Master of Public Policy). Before entering politics, Taylor Roy worked at the World Bank, served as a consultant with McKinsey & Company, and later ran a family-owned green-energy business.

Leona Alleslev (Conservative) — The incumbent MP and former Canadian Air Force logistics officer. Alleslev held a B.A. (Honours) in History and Political Science from the Royal Military College. Originally elected as a Liberal in 2015, she crossed the floor to the Conservatives in 2018, citing disagreements over economic and foreign policy. She also owned and operated two small businesses.

Janice Hagan (NDP) — A longtime union representative with extensive experience in labour advocacy. Hagan had participated in multiple federal and provincial election campaigns prior to 2021.

Anthony Siskos (PPC) — The People's Party candidate in the riding, running on a platform emphasizing individual liberties and reduced government intervention.

About the Riding

Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill is a commuter-belt riding where many residents travel south to Toronto for work each day. Traffic congestion and transit infrastructure were top-of-mind issues in 2021. The proposed Richmond Hill extension of the Yonge subway line — a project that had been discussed for decades — remained unfunded at the federal level, and residents expressed frustration at overcrowded GO Transit trains and buses. The riding's proximity to Highway 404 and Highway 400 provided highway access, but peak-hour gridlock on local arterial roads was a daily reality.

Housing affordability was a growing concern. The average home price in the riding had risen sharply, driven by demand from both local buyers and newcomers to the region. Young families found it increasingly difficult to enter the market, while rental options remained limited in a predominantly single-family-home landscape. The riding's population growth put pressure on school capacity, with several schools operating above their designed enrolment.

Environmental protection of the Oak Ridges Moraine was a recurring local issue. The moraine's forests and wetlands sit atop a massive aquifer system, and residents closely monitored proposed development applications that might encroach on protected lands. The David Dunlap Observatory lands in Richmond Hill — a former astronomical research site — were the subject of a long-running debate over development versus conservation.

The riding's economic base leaned toward professional services, technology, and small business. Newmarket's Southlake Regional Health Centre, located just outside the riding boundary, served as a major regional employer and healthcare hub.