Etobicoke Centre

Etobicoke Centre is a diverse urban-suburban riding in Toronto's west end, covering a compact area of established residential neighbourhoods between Highway 401 to the north, the Humber River to the east, Bloor Street to the south, and Highway 427 to the west. The riding includes the communities of Markland Wood, Princess Gardens, Eatonville, Thorncrest Village, Islington Village, and parts of Kingsway and Humber Valley Village. Home to one of the largest Ukrainian-Canadian populations in the Greater Toronto Area, the riding also has significant Italian, Polish, and South Asian communities. Liberal incumbent Yvan Baker sought a third term in 2025 against a Conservative challenger with deep local roots.

Candidates

Yvan Baker (Liberal)* is the incumbent, first elected federally in 2019 after serving as the Liberal member of the Ontario legislature for Etobicoke Centre from 2014 to 2018. The son of a Scottish-Canadian father and a Ukrainian-born mother, Baker speaks fluent Ukrainian and served as president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress Ontario from 2010 to 2012. He holds a BBA from York University's Schulich School of Business and an MBA from Dartmouth College's Tuck School of Business, and worked at Scotiabank before entering politics. Baker has been a prominent voice on Canada's support for Ukraine, and he sponsored legislation to designate September as Ukrainian Heritage Month.

Ted Opitz (Conservative) is a retired Canadian Forces lieutenant-colonel and former MP who represented Etobicoke Centre from 2011 to 2015. Opitz enrolled in the Canadian Army Reserves at age 16 in 1978 and rose through the ranks over a 33-year military career that included service in Bosnia with NATO's Stabilization Force. He served in various military planning roles, including work on Pope John Paul II's World Youth Day visit to Canada in 2002. He has lived in Etobicoke Centre with his wife since 1994.

Ji Won Jung (NDP) is a young community advocate who began volunteering at food banks and soup kitchens at age 10. A student at the University of Toronto, Jung has founded a student association, led an educational non-profit, and started a small business. Jung was proclaimed the NDP candidate for the riding during the 2025 campaign.

About the Riding

Etobicoke Centre is a mature residential riding with a distinctly multicultural character. The Ukrainian community has been a significant presence in Etobicoke since the postwar era, when thousands of Ukrainian immigrants settled in the borough. Ukrainian remains one of the most widely spoken non-official languages in the riding. The Italian, Polish, and growing South Asian communities further shape the riding's cultural fabric, with a network of cultural centres, churches, and community organizations reflecting this diversity.

The riding's residential character ranges from the large lots and winding streets of Thorncrest Village and Markland Wood to the apartment corridors along Bloor Street and Burnhamthorpe Road. Islington Village, centred on the Islington subway station, provides a walkable commercial strip. Proximity to Pearson International Airport makes aviation-related employment significant for many residents.

In 2025, Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine gave the riding's federal race an unusually personal dimension, with Baker's advocacy for Ukraine resonating strongly among the riding's large Ukrainian-Canadian community. Affordability, housing costs, and healthcare access were bread-and-butter issues across the riding, while the US trade dispute added economic uncertainty for residents employed in manufacturing, aviation services, and cross-border industries. The contest between Baker and Opitz--a rematch of sorts between the riding's current and former MPs--made Etobicoke Centre one of the more closely watched races in Toronto.