Toronto—Danforth

Peter Tabuns entered the 2025 election as one of Ontario’s most seasoned legislators. First elected in a 2006 by-election, the former Greenpeace Canada executive director had won the riding in every general election since. Following the NDP’s 2022 election loss and Andrea Horwath’s resignation as party leader, Tabuns was unanimously selected as the NDP’s interim leader, a role he held from June 2022 until Marit Stiles won the permanent leadership in February 2023. He subsequently continued as MPP and was named the NDP’s Shadow Minister for Environment, Conservation and Parks. The riding’s defining local issue during the 2022–2025 term was the Ontario Line construction, which began disrupting the Danforth corridor in earnest.

Candidates

Peter Tabuns (NDP) — Tabuns served as a Toronto city councillor for Ward 8 Riverdale from 1990 to 1997 and was executive director of Greenpeace Canada from 1999 to 2004. He also served as a climate change advisor to federal NDP leader Jack Layton. After Andrea Horwath’s resignation in 2022, Tabuns served as interim leader of the Ontario NDP until February 2023 and subsequently held the Shadow Minister portfolio for Environment, Conservation and Parks.

Connor Taras (Liberal) — Taras was a former competitive sport kayaker who won a silver medal with the Canadian men’s K-4 1,000 metres team at the 2011 Pan American Games. He held an MBA from Queen’s University and had a career in business development. He campaigned on housing affordability, healthcare access, and bringing a new generation of leadership to the riding.

Adam Ratkowski (Progressive Conservative) — Ratkowski was a recent University of Guelph graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and had interned for the Conservative Party of Canada. He served as president of the campus conservatives at the University of Guelph.

Orlando Wright ran for the Green Party and Stephen Graham for the New Blue Party.

Local Issues

The Ontario Line’s construction was the most significant local issue during the 2022–2025 term. Metrolinx broke ground on the future Pape Station in July 2024, and demolitions along the north side of Danforth Avenue between Pape and Eaton Avenues displaced long-standing businesses. Akropolis Pastries, a Greek bakery that had operated on the Danforth since 1979, was among the businesses shuttered to make way for construction. The Greektown BIA raised concerns about lost parking, reduced foot traffic, dust, and noise disrupting remaining businesses. Construction was expected to last several years, and residents worried about the long-term impact on one of Toronto’s most recognizable commercial strips.

Housing affordability continued to be a major concern in the riding. Rents in east-end Toronto rose sharply, and tenants in older apartment buildings faced above-guideline rent increase applications. The cost of homeownership in the area placed purchasing out of reach for many long-time residents and young families.

Environmental policy remained salient in a riding with a deeply progressive voter base. Tabuns’s portfolio as the NDP’s environment critic aligned with local priorities around climate action and green infrastructure. Transit planning more broadly, and the question of whether the provincial government’s approach to mega-projects adequately balanced community input with construction timelines, ran through much of the local campaign discussion.