Dufferin—Caledon

Dufferin—Caledon covers 2,293 square kilometres of rolling countryside northwest of the Greater Toronto Area, encompassing the entirety of Dufferin County and the Town of Caledon in the Region of Peel. With a 2021 population of approximately 101,600, the riding is a mix of small towns, rural hamlets, and agricultural land set against the dramatic topography of the Niagara Escarpment and the Oak Ridges Moraine. Dufferin County includes the towns of Orangeville, Shelburne, and Mono, along with the rural townships of Amaranth, East Garafraxa, East Luther Grand Valley, Melancthon, and Mulmur. Caledon is home to the historic villages of Bolton, Caledon East, Palgrave, Belfountain, Cheltenham, Inglewood, and Terra Cotta.

The district serves as the headwaters for four river systems—the Credit, Humber, Nottawasaga, and Grand—making it ecologically significant for the broader Greater Toronto region. Caledon has marketed itself as "the Greenest Town in Ontario" for its environmental initiatives and its position straddling the Greenbelt. The Humber and Credit River valleys, the escarpment, and the moraine provide rich agricultural land, recreational trails, and a landscape that attracts both commuters seeking rural living and retirees from nearby urban centres.

Candidates

Kyle Seeback (Conservative) Born and raised in Brampton, Seeback swam on the Canadian national team from 1987 to 1994 and was ranked among the world's top 16 in the 200-metre butterfly. He earned a law degree and practised civil litigation for over a decade, arguing cases in the Superior Court of Justice and the Divisional Court. He is also a trained mediator. First elected to Parliament in 2011 representing Brampton West, he lost his seat in 2015 and was elected in Dufferin—Caledon in 2019. He served as the Conservative Shadow Minister for Labour heading into the 2021 campaign.

Lisa Post (Liberal) An Orangeville town councillor elected in 2018, Post served as Chair of the Joint Accessibility Advisory Committee, the Cultural Plan Task Force, and the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and as Vice Chair of the Library Board. She was a founding organizer of Dufferin County's first Pride Festival and campaigned on affordability, climate action, and support for small businesses.

Samantha Sanchez (NDP) A newly called family lawyer who completed her law degree abroad and a Master of Laws in Canada, Sanchez had previously taught English online and worked in customer service. Running in her first federal campaign, she was drawn to the NDP by its platform on student debt forgiveness and policies aimed at supporting working Canadians.

Anthony Zambito (PPC) A lifelong area resident who grew up in Bolton, Zambito graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with a BA in Political Science, minoring in French and Spanish. His campaign focused on opposition to pandemic-related public health mandates and the elimination of the carbon tax.

About the Riding

The tension between development and agricultural preservation has defined Dufferin—Caledon's politics for years. The riding sits at the edge of Greater Toronto's suburban expansion, and developers have sought to build on farmland—including land designated as prime agricultural—to meet the region's surging housing demand. The Peel Region approved expansion of its settlement boundary onto approximately 11,000 acres of farmland predominantly in south Caledon, a decision that divided the community between those advocating for new housing and those seeking to protect the area's rural character and food-producing land.

Orangeville (population approximately 30,000) serves as the riding's commercial and service hub, with a hospital, government offices, and a traditional main street. Shelburne, to the north, has seen rapid population growth as commuters priced out of Brampton and Mississauga move further afield. Dufferin County's growth plan projected approximately 11,600 new households between 2021 and 2051, mostly single-family and semi-detached homes, placing further pressure on roads, water systems, and community services.

Agriculture remains a vital part of the local economy. Dufferin County and Caledon are home to cattle, dairy, and crop farms, and the riding's rolling terrain supports a growing agri-tourism sector including farmers' markets, farm-gate sales, and equestrian operations. The Niagara Escarpment and Bruce Trail—which passes through the riding—draw hikers and nature enthusiasts. Broadband internet connectivity in rural areas was a recurring campaign issue, as many residents working remotely during the pandemic found their internet service inadequate.