Niagara South

Niagara South is a newly created riding that emerged from the 2022 redistribution, replacing the former Niagara Centre with significantly redrawn boundaries. The addition of Fort Erie -- previously part of the Niagara Falls riding -- shifted the electoral geography rightward, and Conservative Fred Davies capitalized on the new map to unseat three-term Liberal incumbent Vance Badawey in one of the most consequential flips in the Niagara region.

Candidates

Fred Davies (Conservative) -- Born and raised in Port Colborne, Davies has been a community and business leader in Niagara for over four decades. He served as a school board trustee with the former Niagara South Board of Education and the District School Board of Niagara, and has sat on the boards of the Niagara Health System Foundation, Pathstone Mental Health, and Bridges Community Health. He was charter president of the Rotary Club of Port Colborne and received a Paul Harris Fellowship. Acclaimed as Niagara regional councillor for Port Colborne in 2022, he also ran provincially for the Progressive Conservatives in Niagara Centre that year, narrowly losing to NDP incumbent Jeff Burch.

Vance Badawey (Liberal) -- First elected to Port Colborne city council in 1994, Badawey served as mayor of Port Colborne for multiple terms before winning the Niagara Centre federal seat in 2015. He was re-elected in 2019 and 2021 and served as parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Transport. A longtime figure in Niagara municipal and federal politics, Badawey ran on his record of infrastructure investment and advocacy for the Welland Canal corridor.

Chantal McCollum (NDP) -- A lawyer based in Thorold, McCollum grew up in a union family in the communities of Merritton and Thorold. She worked as an environmental consultant before obtaining her law degree and has owned and operated her own practice since 2019. She serves as treasurer of the Lincoln County Law Association and campaigned on healthcare access, housing affordability, and income inequality.

Peter Taras (People's Party - PPC) -- Taras ran for the People's Party, advocating for reduced government spending and personal freedom.

Natashia Bergen (Green Party) -- Bergen represented the Green Party in the riding, focusing on environmental issues and community sustainability.

About the Riding

Niagara South encompasses the cities of Welland, Port Colborne, and Thorold, along with the town of Fort Erie. The Welland Canal, a critical piece of the St. Lawrence Seaway system, runs through the riding and has historically shaped the local economy, supporting manufacturing, shipping, and industrial employment. While some of the heavy industry that once defined cities like Welland has declined, the canal corridor remains economically significant.

Fort Erie sits directly across the Niagara River from Buffalo, New York, and the Peace Bridge is one of the busiest Canada-U.S. border crossings. The addition of Fort Erie to the riding through redistribution was a pivotal change -- the town had leaned strongly Conservative in 2021, and its inclusion tilted the riding's overall political balance.

The 2025 race was shaped by a combination of boundary changes, shifting voter preferences, and a collapse in third-party support. Davies, with his deep roots in Port Colborne and regional council experience, ran an effective campaign emphasizing local credibility and change, while Badawey struggled to hold together the coalition that had sustained him through three previous victories in the differently configured Niagara Centre.