York--Durham

York--Durham is a newly created federal riding established through the 2022 redistribution, spanning more than 1,800 square kilometres of mixed suburban and rural territory across York and Durham regions northeast of Toronto. The riding draws together communities from several predecessor ridings, uniting part of Whitchurch-Stouffville in York Region with the Town of Georgina, the townships of Brock, Scugog, and Uxbridge in Durham Region, and the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation and Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation reserves. With an estimated 97,000 eligible voters, the riding blends small-town Ontario life with growing suburban centres and a significant agricultural footprint.

Candidates

Jacob Mantle (Conservative)* is a lifelong resident of the riding, born and raised in Uxbridge, where his family has farmed since the early 1800s. In 2010, at just 22, he was elected to Uxbridge Township council as the youngest councillor in the municipality's history, serving one term as Ward 4 councillor and chairing the Sustainability, Watershed and Conservation Committee. He subsequently attended Queen's University Law, graduating and joining Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt as a trade lawyer specializing in international trade disputes, customs compliance, anti-dumping investigations, and WTO matters. He previously ran as the Conservative candidate in Pickering--Uxbridge in the 2021 federal election.

Robert Grossi (Liberal) is a former five-term mayor of Georgina and long-serving York Regional Councillor who brings more than two decades of experience in municipal governance. He and his wife, Carolyn, have lived in Georgina for nearly 40 years and raised their children in the community. Grossi campaigned on economic growth, affordability, housing, and trade diversification in response to US tariff threats, and he supported the transfer of Pickering Airport lands to the Rouge National Urban Park.

Justin Graham (NDP) is a construction business owner and operator of J. Graham, a firm he has run in the region for decades. He serves as vice-president of his union and has spent over 20 years coaching youth soccer and hockey in the community. Graham campaigned on affordable housing, healthcare funding, and protecting public services.

Patricia Conlin (People's Party) is a business owner, author, and speaker who was raised in Markham and later moved to Scugog. She previously operated Global Consulting Group Inc. and has run under the PPC banner in the Durham area in previous elections, campaigning on immigration reform, tax cuts, and domestic manufacturing.

Matt Pearce (Green Party) is a first-time candidate with deep family ties to the region and decades of experience in the automotive, manufacturing, and service sectors as a small-business operator. He campaigned on income tax cuts for lower earners, banning corporate purchases of single-family homes, and major green infrastructure investment.

About the Riding

York--Durham's landscape is defined by the transition from the suburban edge of the Greater Toronto Area into the agricultural and lakefront communities of Ontario's rural heartland. In the south, Whitchurch-Stouffville has grown rapidly as a commuter community for Toronto, with new subdivisions pushing into former farmland. Moving north, the Town of Georgina stretches along the southern shore of Lake Simcoe, a mix of year-round residents and seasonal cottage communities centred on Keswick, Sutton, and Jackson's Point. Further east, the townships of Uxbridge, Scugog, and Brock remain predominantly rural, with economies built around agriculture, small-town commerce, and tourism.

The riding includes two First Nations reserves. The Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation, located on islands in Lake Simcoe, were the first community in Canada to ratify the Framework Agreement on First Nation Lands Management. The Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation, on Lake Scugog near Port Perry, have deep historical ties to the region stretching back centuries. Both communities bring Indigenous land management, treaty rights, and infrastructure needs into the riding's political conversation.

In 2025, the riding's political debate revolved around growth pressures, rural service gaps, and trade uncertainty. Residents in the southern portions contended with the familiar suburban challenges of congested roads, strained schools, and insufficient healthcare facilities, while communities further north faced physician shortages, limited public transit, and aging infrastructure. The future of the federal Pickering Airport lands was a significant local issue -- the government's decision in January 2025 to cancel the long-planned airport and transfer the lands to the Rouge National Urban Park was welcomed by conservation advocates but debated among those who saw economic potential in airport development. Agriculture and conservation along the Lake Simcoe watershed, broadband access in rural areas, and affordability concerns rounded out the issues that shaped the campaign across this sprawling new riding.