Newmarket—Aurora

Newmarket—Aurora is a suburban riding in York Region north of Toronto, encompassing the towns of Newmarket and Aurora. The seat had been held since 2018 by Christine Elliott, who served as Deputy Premier and Minister of Health throughout the Ford government’s first term, making her one of the most prominent figures in Ontario politics during the COVID-19 pandemic. Elliott announced in March 2022 that she would not seek re-election, opening the riding for the first time in a general election cycle. The manner in which the PC Party selected her replacement became a local controversy.

Candidates

Dawn Gallagher Murphy (Progressive Conservative) — Gallagher Murphy is an entrepreneur with 25 years of experience in the secure payments industry, including 15 years managing her own consulting business. She had served with MPP Christine Elliott since 2018. Her nomination was announced on the same Zoom call as Elliott’s retirement, without an open nomination process, prompting the local riding association president to resign in protest.

Sylvain Roy (Liberal) — Dr. Roy is a neuropsychologist and mental health and disability advocate. He is a former president of the Ontario Psychological Association and previously served as lead clinician at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s Psychosocial Rehabilitation Service. At the time of the election, he worked at the Inner City Family Health Team.

Denis Heng (NDP) — Heng is an epidemiologist who had worked for more than 15 years with York Region Public Health, including frontline public health work during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was a member of the Town of Aurora’s 2018–2022 Community Advisory Committee.

Carolina Rodriguez (Green Party), Iwona Czarnecka (New Blue Party), Krista Mckenzie (Ontario Party), and Yuri Duboisky (Ontario Moderate Party) also ran.

Local Issues

Healthcare infrastructure was a dominant concern in Newmarket—Aurora. Southlake Regional Health Centre, which serves the riding and surrounding communities, received $5 million in April 2022 to plan for a major expansion that would add more than 100 new inpatient beds—the first significant expansion since 2003. All major candidates identified healthcare as a top priority, particularly given the strain the pandemic had placed on the hospital.

Wastewater infrastructure was another issue with significant local stakes. The Upper York Sewage Solution, a multihundred-million-dollar project originally planned to pump treated wastewater into the Lake Simcoe watershed to accommodate growth in Newmarket, Aurora, and East Gwillimbury, was a contentious environmental concern. Elliott had argued that growth in the region could stall unless the infrastructure question was resolved.

The manner of Gallagher Murphy’s nomination itself became a campaign issue. The PC riding association president resigned publicly, calling the process of appointing a candidate without local input contrary to the party’s principles. Opposition candidates pointed to the episode as evidence of top-down governance by the Ford government.