Oakville

Oakville is an affluent suburban riding in Halton Region, situated along the shores of Lake Ontario between Toronto and Hamilton. Home to a well-educated, high-income population, the town is known for its heritage downtown, waterfront parks, and proximity to the QEW corridor. Stephen Crawford won the seat for the Progressive Conservatives in 2018, ending a period of Liberal representation, and entered the 2022 campaign as Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Finance.

The 2022 election in Oakville was marked by an unusual ballot quirk: two candidates named Stephen Crawford appeared on the ballot. The incumbent PC MPP faced a same-named candidate running for the None of the Above Direct Democracy Party, a situation that drew local media attention and raised questions about potential voter confusion.

Candidates

Stephen Crawford (Progressive Conservative) — Born in Mississauga, Crawford studied political science at Western University and business at the University of Toronto before building a career in financial services, helping grow Acuity Funds Ltd. into one of Canada’s fastest-growing asset management firms. He earned a Canadian Investment Manager designation and was first elected in Oakville in 2018. He resides in Oakville with his wife Najia and is the father of two sets of identical twin girls.

Alison Gohel (Liberal) — A first-generation Canadian with degrees in law from multiple jurisdictions, including an LLM from Osgoode Hall Law School and studies in France, Gohel is a senior advisor with a major Canadian financial institution with over a decade of experience in law and taxation. She won the Liberal nomination in late 2020, defeating town councillor Sean O’Meara in a competitive contest.

Maeve McNaughton (NDP) — A fourth-year media production student at Toronto Metropolitan University at the time of the election, McNaughton campaigned on wage inequality, food and housing insecurity, and mental health resources.

Bruno Sousa (Green Party) — Sousa carried the Green Party banner in the riding.

Stephen Kenneth Crawford ran for the None of the Above Direct Democracy Party, Mark Fraser Platt for the New Blue Party, Alicia Bedford for the Ontario Party, Silvio Ursomarzo for the Freedom Party, and Andrew Titov for the Ontario Moderate Party.

Local Issues

The most contentious local issue was the province’s Transit Oriented Communities program and its implications for Midtown Oakville, the area around the Oakville GO station. The Ford government had designated this area for high-density development, with developers filing proposals for multiple high-rise towers. Residents and community groups objected to the scale of the proposed development, arguing it would overwhelm local infrastructure, schools, and roads, while the confidential nature of negotiations between the province and developers frustrated those seeking transparency.

Health care capacity was another persistent concern. Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital, part of the Halton Healthcare system, faced the same staffing pressures and surgical backlogs that affected hospitals across Ontario during the pandemic. Residents worried about wait times for emergency and specialist care, particularly as the population continued to grow with new housing developments in north Oakville.

Transportation congestion along the QEW and through Oakville’s major arterial roads was a daily frustration for commuters. While GO Transit service provided a rail link to Toronto, questions persisted about the adequacy of local transit connections and the pace of infrastructure investment needed to keep up with the town’s growth.