London North Centre

London North Centre was widely considered the local race to watch in London heading into the 2022 election. NDP incumbent Terence Kernaghan had won the seat in 2018, flipping it from the Liberals who had held it for decades. The riding encompasses the central and northern parts of the City of London, including the campuses of Western University and Huron University College, giving it a large student population and a socially progressive character tempered by established residential neighbourhoods.

Political observers anticipated a competitive three-way contest between the NDP, Progressive Conservatives, and Liberals, with each party fielding a well-known local candidate.

Candidates

Terence Kernaghan (NDP) — First elected in 2018, Kernaghan had previously worked as an elementary school teacher-librarian specializing in critical literacy, digital citizenship, and social justice. A graduate of Western University’s Huron College and Althouse College, he served as the Official Opposition’s critic for LGBTQ Issues.

Jerry Pribil (Progressive Conservative) — The owner and operator of Marienbad restaurant and Chaucer’s Pub in London, Pribil brought extensive international hospitality experience spanning five countries. He held an MBA from Universidad Europea in Madrid and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and had served as a university professor in the United States and Europe.

Kate Graham (Liberal) — A political scientist with a PhD who taught in the political science departments at Huron University College and Western University. Graham had also spent a decade working as a public servant and had run in the riding in 2018 before finishing third in the Ontario Liberal leadership race. She served as Vice Chair of the 2022 campaign and Co-Chair of the party’s 2022 platform.

Carol Dyck (Green Party) — A researcher and environmental policy specialist with graduate degrees including a Master of Law in environmental law from the University of Kent and a Master of Science from Oxford University. Dyck served on the City of London’s Environmental and Ecological Planning Advisory Committee and the board of the London Environmental Network.

Tommy Caldwell ran for the New Blue Party, Darrel Grant for the Ontario Party, Paul McKeever for the Freedom Party, and George Le Mac for Consensus Ontario.

Local Issues

Housing affordability and the cost of living were the overriding concerns for London North Centre voters. Gas, groceries, and housing costs had been rising faster than incomes and pensions, affecting residents across every neighbourhood in the riding. The presence of Western University intensified rental market pressures, as student housing demand competed with the needs of other renters in an already tight market.

Healthcare access featured prominently in the campaign, with London-area residents contending with physician shortages and growing wait times. The homelessness crisis affecting London as a whole was also visible in parts of the riding, with encampments and rising demand for shelter services raising difficult questions about the provincial government’s role in addressing the issue.

The Ford government’s record during the COVID-19 pandemic was a major backdrop to the race. School closures, lockdown measures, and the government’s handling of long-term care homes during the crisis were all debated during the campaign. With a large student population and a politically engaged electorate, London North Centre served as a bellwether for voter sentiment toward the incumbent government in southwest Ontario.