Simcoe North

Simcoe North spans more than 3,100 square kilometres in the northern and eastern portions of Simcoe County, from the shores of Lake Simcoe to Georgian Bay. Its principal communities include Orillia, Midland, Penetanguishene, and Coldwater, along with the townships of Severn, Ramara, Oro-Medonte, Tay, and Tiny, and the Chippewas of Rama First Nation. Progressive Conservative MPP Jill Dunlop had represented the riding since 2018. Her father, Garfield Dunlop, had previously held the seat from 1999 to 2015. During the 2022–2025 term, she held successive cabinet posts as Minister of Colleges and Universities and then Minister of Education, giving the riding a direct voice in two key provincial portfolios. She sought a third term in 2025.

Candidates

Jill Dunlop (Progressive Conservative) — Born and raised in Coldwater, Dunlop graduated from Western University with a Bachelor of Science degree and later joined the faculty at Georgian College’s Orillia campus. She was first appointed Associate Minister of Children and Women’s Issues in 2019, then became Minister of Colleges and Universities in 2021, and was named Minister of Education in 2024. Her cabinet tenure gave her a platform to advocate for local priorities, including a new hospital for Orillia.

Walter Alvarez-Bardales (Liberal) — Originally from Guatemala, Alvarez-Bardales fled the Guatemalan conflict as a young man. He holds an MBA and was pursuing a doctorate at Royal Roads University at the time of the campaign. He cited a more than 10-hour emergency room wait as motivation for entering politics and ran on a platform centred on healthcare access.

Jordi Malcolm (NDP) — A 19-year-old political science student at the University of Ottawa, Malcolm is a lifelong Orillia resident and graduate of Orillia Secondary School. She ran as a youthful voice for healthcare improvements, housing affordability, and education funding.

Chris Carr (Green Party), Dave Brunelle (New Blue Party), and William Joslin (Libertarian) also ran.

Local Issues

The condition and future of Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital dominated the riding’s political conversation. The hospital, parts of which are more than a century old, had been operating at above 100 percent capacity for years. The surrounding population had grown at double the provincial average, with further growth of nearly 45 percent projected over the next quarter-century. In January 2023, the hospital launched a public campaign urging the province to fund a capital planning grant for a new facility. Dunlop campaigned on continuing to push for a fully funded new hospital.

Affordability and housing remained urgent concerns. Orillia and Midland, once considered lower-cost alternatives to the Greater Toronto Area, had experienced sharp increases in property values during the pandemic that priced out young families and longtime residents. The shortage of family physicians across rural Simcoe County compounded quality-of-life worries, as residents in smaller communities often faced long drives for specialist care.

Rural broadband access continued to be an issue despite provincial investment commitments. Many parts of the riding still lacked reliable high-speed internet, a gap that became painfully evident during the pandemic and remained unresolved heading into the 2025 campaign.