Toronto—Danforth

Toronto—Danforth is an east-Toronto riding bounded by the Don River to the west, Lake Ontario and Toronto Harbour to the south, Coxwell Avenue and Coxwell Boulevard to the east, and Taylor Creek and the Don River East Branch to the north. The riding encompasses several distinct neighbourhoods including Greektown along Danforth Avenue, Riverdale, Leslieville, and parts of the South Riverdale industrial-residential area. Greektown — once home to the largest Greek community in North America — remains a defining cultural feature, with 7.3 percent of the riding's population reporting Greek ethnic origins, the highest proportion among Toronto ridings. The total population was approximately 105,500.

Candidates

Julie Dabrusin (Liberal) — The incumbent MP, first elected in 2015. Raised in Montreal, Dabrusin earned a Bachelor of Arts in Near and Middle Eastern Studies from McGill University and a law degree from the University of Toronto. She practised litigation at Rogers Partners LLP for 13 years, including serving as commission counsel for the Toronto External Contracts Inquiry. In 2011, she left the legal profession to focus on community organizing and advocacy for Toronto's public parks.

Clare Hacksel (NDP) — A healthcare professional with more than a decade of experience focused on serving populations with barriers to quality care. Hacksel was an advocate for reproductive justice and health equity, and her campaign emphasized the connections between housing shortages, income inequality, and health outcomes.

Michael Carey (Conservative) — A first-time candidate who lived in the riding and was raising his family in the community. Carey entered the race as part of the Conservative campaign under Erin O'Toole's leadership.

Wayne Simmons (PPC) — The People's Party of Canada candidate in the riding.

About the Riding

Toronto—Danforth is a riding of contrasts. The Danforth strip between Broadview and Pape is one of Toronto's most recognized commercial streets — home to Greek restaurants, independent shops, and the annual Taste of the Danforth festival, which draws hundreds of thousands of visitors over a mid-August weekend. Leslieville, in the riding's southern portion, underwent significant gentrification through the 2010s, with former industrial buildings converted to condominiums and Queen Street East emerging as a corridor of boutiques, coffee shops, and restaurants.

Housing affordability and neighbourhood change were central concerns. Home prices across the riding had risen sharply, and the influx of higher-income residents into formerly working-class areas like Leslieville and South Riverdale fuelled anxiety about displacement. Purpose-built rental housing was scarce, and tenants in older apartment buildings faced above-guideline rent increases and renovation evictions. The riding's mix of public housing in Regent Park's eastern fringe and million-dollar Riverdale homes underscored the economic diversity — and tension — within its boundaries.

The Don River valley, running along the riding's western edge, was the subject of ongoing flood-protection and naturalization efforts. The Port Lands Flood Protection project — a $1.25-billion undertaking to create a new mouth for the Don River — was under construction during the 2021 campaign, with implications for the riding's southern waterfront. Environmental groups in the riding pushed for stronger protections for the Don watershed and improved public access to ravine trails.

The riding's ethnic composition reflected successive waves of immigration — Greek, Chinese, South Asian, and East African communities all maintained a visible presence. The neighbourhood's progressive political character was shaped partly by its history as the riding of Jack Layton, the late NDP leader who represented the area from 2004 until his death in 2011. The Liberals reclaimed the seat in a 2013 by-election and held it through subsequent general elections, though the NDP remained competitive.