Newmarket--Aurora

Newmarket--Aurora sits in the heart of York Region, encompassing the towns of Newmarket and Aurora north of Toronto. A suburban riding with a mix of established neighbourhoods and newer developments, it has swung between Liberal and Conservative in recent elections. With the retirement of two-term Liberal MP Tony Van Bynen, the 2025 race became an open-seat contest. Conservative Sandra Cobena defeated Liberal Jennifer McLachlan to flip the riding, making it one of the Conservative Party's key pickups in the Greater Toronto Area.

Candidates

Sandra Cobena (Conservative) -- Born in Ecuador, Cobena immigrated to Canada as a teenager in 2006 and has lived in the Newmarket--Aurora area since. She holds a double honours degree in global commerce and finance from King's University College at Western University and an executive global master's in management from the London School of Economics. A commercial banker at TD Bank, she has advised Ontario-based companies on financial strategies for mergers, acquisitions, and restructuring. She has volunteered on Conservative campaigns since 2006.

Jennifer McLachlan (Liberal) -- An entrepreneur and global security professional, McLachlan has a twenty-year career designing security management for embassies, international conferences, and Fortune 500 companies. She also studied organizational design at MIT. A longtime Newmarket community member, she has run several local businesses including the Cachet Supper Club restaurant and a pandemic-era delivery service called delivereh. She was acclaimed as the Liberal candidate after Van Bynen's retirement.

Anna Gollen (NDP) -- Gollen ran as the NDP candidate with a focus on affordability, safe communities, and making homeownership possible again for younger Canadians.

About the Riding

Newmarket and Aurora are historic Ontario towns that have evolved into major suburban centres. Newmarket serves as the administrative seat of York Region, hosting the regional government headquarters, while Aurora is known for its heritage downtown, cultural festivals, and proximity to the Oak Ridges Moraine. The riding has an above-average median household income, and auto parts giant Magna International, headquartered nearby, is a significant employer.

The riding's demographics have shifted in recent decades as immigration has diversified what was once a predominantly white-collar, European-origin community. Visible minorities now make up a significant share of the population, with growing Chinese, South Asian, and West Asian communities. Despite this change, the riding retains a small-town sensibility, with active volunteer organizations, local sports leagues, and community events that give it a character distinct from the denser suburbs closer to Toronto.

The 2025 contest was effectively a two-candidate race between Cobena and McLachlan. At a high school candidates' debate, the two sparred over the carbon tax, affordability, and economic policy. Cobena drew on her banking expertise to critique Liberal fiscal management, while McLachlan emphasized her entrepreneurial background and community ties. With the NDP vote minimal, the Conservative-Liberal split fell narrowly in Cobena's favour, giving the Conservatives a foothold in a riding that had trended Liberal in recent cycles.