Simcoe North

Simcoe North is a sprawling riding in central Ontario covering more than 3,100 square kilometres of the northern and eastern portions of Simcoe County. The riding's largest communities are the city of Orillia, the town of Midland, and the town of Penetanguishene, situated along the southeastern shore of Georgian Bay. It also includes the townships of Tay, Tiny, Severn, Ramara, and part of Oro-Medonte, as well as the Chippewas of Rama First Nation (Mnjikaning) and the Beausoleil First Nation on Christian Island. The riding blends small-city urban centres, cottage country, agricultural land, and First Nations communities across a landscape defined by Lake Simcoe, Lake Couchiching, and Georgian Bay.

Candidates

Adam Chambers (Conservative) is the incumbent, first elected in 2021 and re-elected in 2025. Born and raised in Midland, he attended St. Theresa's High School before earning a law degree and an MBA from the University of Western Ontario. Chambers served as a senior adviser and later director of policy to federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, helping navigate the global financial crisis and working on Flaherty's final budget in 2014. He subsequently worked as assistant vice-president at one of Canada's largest life insurance companies and co-founded an online education platform to help college and university students prepare for licensing exams.

Ryan Rocca (Liberal) is a second-generation Canadian of Italian-Ukrainian descent who came to the Simcoe North region as a child. He holds a Bachelor's degree in criminology from the University of Western Ontario and a Juris Doctor from Bond University in Australia. A resident of Tiny Township, Rocca is a small businessman who works as an agent for international vineyards, helping get their products onto Canadian store shelves. He was acclaimed as the Liberal candidate and described himself as a political neophyte.

Melissa Lloyd (NDP) stood as the New Democratic Party candidate in the riding.

Ray Little (Green Party) and Stephen Toivo Makk (People's Party) also stood as candidates in the riding.

About the Riding

Simcoe North's economy is anchored by tourism, healthcare, manufacturing, agriculture, and public-sector employment. Orillia, the riding's largest community with a population of roughly 33,000, serves as a regional commercial and service hub, home to Lakehead University's Orillia campus and the Ontario Provincial Police headquarters. The town sits at the narrows between Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching, at the gateway to cottage country. Midland and Penetanguishene, the twin towns on Georgian Bay's Severn Sound, share a deep history tied to the fur trade, the Jesuit missions, and the British naval establishment at Discovery Harbour. The region is also home to Sainte-Marie among the Hurons, a reconstructed 17th-century mission site and one of Ontario's most visited heritage attractions.

Casino Rama, operated by Gateway Casinos on the Chippewas of Rama First Nation reserve, is one of the largest employers in the riding and a significant tourism draw. Agriculture, including grain farming, livestock operations, and a growing number of craft beverage producers, remains important across the rural townships.

In 2025, affordability was the leading concern among Simcoe North's residents, as cottage-country real estate prices and an influx of remote workers during and after the pandemic drove up housing costs for longtime residents. Healthcare access was another dominant issue, with physician shortages and long emergency room wait times affecting communities across the riding. Water protection, particularly the health of Georgian Bay and Lake Simcoe, was a recurring local priority. The US trade dispute added uncertainty for agricultural producers and manufacturers in the riding.