University—Rosedale

University—Rosedale is a downtown Toronto riding encompassing the University of Toronto’s St. George campus, the Annex, Kensington Market, Chinatown, Rosedale, and parts of Yorkville. The riding was created ahead of the 2018 election and was won by NDP candidate Jessica Bell, a transit and housing activist. Bell entered the 2022 campaign as the NDP’s housing critic, a portfolio that aligned with the riding’s defining issue: the cost and availability of housing in one of Canada’s most expensive real estate markets.

The Liberals and Greens each ran prominent candidates in an effort to challenge Bell, making University—Rosedale one of the more closely watched downtown races. The riding’s large student population, its concentration of renters, and its progressive political character made housing, transit, and the environment the central issues.

Candidates

Jessica Bell (NDP) — Bell was the co-founder and former executive director of TTCriders, a rider-led transit advocacy organization, and had previously been a lecturer at Toronto Metropolitan University and director of the California Food and Justice Coalition. She received the Toronto Community Foundation’s Vital People Award and GreenPAC’s endorsement in 2018 for her environmental work. As MPP, she served as the NDP’s Official Opposition critic for Housing and Tenant Rights.

Andrea Barrack (Liberal) — Barrack had served as head of a community health centre and was formerly the CEO of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, a government-funded organization that grants money to non-profit community projects. She held a Master of Health Science in Health Administration from the University of Toronto.

Carl Qiu (Progressive Conservative) — Qiu held an undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto and an MBA from York University. He had worked at one of Canada’s largest banks and was employed at a Canadian-based global venture capital firm. He served as president of Ontario PC youth from 2018 to 2019.

Dianne Saxe (Green Party) — Saxe was a prominent environmental lawyer and the deputy leader of the Green Party of Ontario. She had served as Ontario’s third and last Environmental Commissioner from 2015 to 2019, delivering seventeen reports to the legislature on topics including environmental injustice, endangered species, and climate policy. The Greens chose University—Rosedale as one of their top target ridings and launched their platform in the constituency.

James Leventakis ran for the New Blue Party and John Kanary for Stop the New Sex-Ed Agenda.

Local Issues

Housing affordability was the defining issue in University—Rosedale. The riding had one of the highest concentrations of renters in Ontario, including students at the University of Toronto and residents of older apartment buildings in the Annex and surrounding neighbourhoods. Rents had climbed steeply, and tenants in buildings constructed after 1991 lacked vacancy control protections. Bell, as the NDP’s housing critic, had campaigned on banning above-guideline rent increases for large buildings and strengthening tenant protections, while Barrack and Saxe each brought their own housing proposals to the race.

The Ontario Line transit project also affected the riding, with planned construction through parts of the downtown core raising questions about community disruption, property expropriations, and the environmental impact of tunnelling. Bell had been a vocal critic of the provincial government’s approach to transit planning and its use of ministerial zoning orders to fast-track development near transit stations without adequate community consultation.

Environmental policy had particular salience in a riding where Dianne Saxe’s candidacy elevated the issue. Saxe’s record as Environmental Commissioner gave her credibility on climate, and the Green campaign focused on the intersection of housing, transit, and emissions reduction. The presence of the University of Toronto meant the riding had a significant student and academic population engaged in climate activism and urban sustainability debates.