Vaughan—Woodbridge

Vaughan—Woodbridge was the most closely watched riding in the 2022 Ontario provincial election, as it was the seat contested by Ontario Liberal leader Steven Del Duca. The riding, located in the City of Vaughan in York Region, encompasses the historic community of Woodbridge and parts of the rapidly growing Vaughan Metropolitan Centre. Del Duca had previously represented the area as MPP from 2012 to 2018, serving as Minister of Transportation under Premier Kathleen Wynne, before losing the seat to Progressive Conservative Michael Tibollo in the 2018 PC wave. The 2022 contest was a direct rematch of that 2018 race, with Del Duca now carrying the added weight of the provincial Liberal leadership.

The stakes could not have been higher for the Liberals. A party leader failing to win their own seat is a rare and devastating outcome in Ontario politics—the last time it had happened was in 2007 when PC leader John Tory lost in Don Valley West. The riding has a large Italian-Canadian community, and both leading candidates had deep roots in that community.

Candidates

Michael Tibollo (Progressive Conservative) — A practising lawyer for over 30 years whose firm, Tibollo and Associates, was based in Woodbridge. Tibollo holds a law degree from the University of Windsor and completed a negotiation workshop at Harvard Law School. First elected in 2018, he served as Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, then as Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Sport, before becoming Ontario's first Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.

Steven Del Duca (Liberal) — A first-generation Canadian born in Etobicoke to an Italian father and a Scottish mother. Del Duca studied political science at the University of Toronto and Carleton University and earned a law degree from Osgoode Hall. He worked as an aide to former Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty and served as director of public affairs for the Carpenters' District Council of Ontario before entering elected politics. He served as Minister of Transportation and Minister of Economic Development under Premier Wynne and was elected Ontario Liberal leader in March 2020.

Will McCarty (NDP) — The New Democratic candidate in the riding.

Other candidates included Luca Mele (New Blue), Philip James Piluris (Green), Gerrard Fortin (Ontario Party), Mario Greco (People's Political Party), and Walid Omrani (Ontario Moderate).

Local Issues

The transformation of the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre dominated local planning discussions during the 2018–2022 term. Following the December 2017 opening of the Line 1 subway extension to VMC station, the formerly low-density area of big-box stores was undergoing rapid intensification, with thousands of new residential units and a new YMCA under construction. Del Duca frequently cited the subway extension and the new Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital as achievements from his time in office. Traffic congestion along the Highway 7 corridor remained a persistent concern, with the City of Vaughan initiating a secondary plan for the Weston Road and Highway 7 area to manage future growth, including new housing, employment, roads, and open spaces.

Residents also raised concerns about development density, particularly around the Kipling Avenue and Highway 7 intersection in Woodbridge, where proposed projects drew opposition from community groups worried about traffic bottlenecks and the impact on emergency vehicle access. The West Woodbridge Homeowners Association was active in challenging development proposals through the Ontario Land Tribunal. Healthcare access was also a factor, as the newly opened Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital began serving the growing population in February 2021, giving Vaughan its first full-service hospital.