Dufferin—Caledon

Dufferin—Caledon, a large riding northwest of the Greater Toronto Area spanning the rolling agricultural landscape of Dufferin County and the Town of Caledon, was held by Sylvia Jones, who had served as MPP since 2007. Jones was appointed Deputy Premier and Minister of Health in June 2022, making her the province’s point person on healthcare policy during a period of acute staffing shortages and hospital overcrowding. She sought her sixth consecutive mandate in 2025, running on the government’s record while opponents challenged its handling of healthcare and its pursuit of Highway 413.

Candidates

Sylvia Jones (Progressive Conservative) — Jones has represented Dufferin—Caledon since winning election in 2007. She holds a college diploma in radio broadcasting and entered politics after working as an assistant to John Tory during his tenure as Ontario PC leader. She served as Solicitor General from 2019 to 2022 before being appointed Deputy Premier and Minister of Health.

Michael Dehn (Liberal) — Dehn is the Mayor of Erin and a Wellington County councillor with a thirty-year career as a geologist and business executive. He is a board member of Credit Valley Conservation.

Sandy Brown (Green Party) — Brown served as Mayor of Orangeville from 2018 to 2022. During his time as mayor, he introduced a climate action policy requiring all municipal decisions to consider environmental impacts and championed initiatives including free transit and the conversion of a former railway corridor into a walking and cycling trail.

George Nakitsas (NDP) — Nakitsas served as research director and principal secretary for federal NDP leader Ed Broadbent and later worked in a volunteer advisory capacity with Jack Layton. He also served as executive director of the Canadian Steel Trade and Employment Congress and as assistant to the national director of the United Steelworkers.

Kris Eggleton (New Blue Party), Jeffrey Halsall (Independent), and Alexey Cherkashov (Ontario Moderate Party) also ran.

Local Issues

Highway 413 remained the most polarizing issue in Dufferin—Caledon during the 2022 to 2025 term. The Ford government moved aggressively to advance the project, and in October 2024 introduced Bill 212, which exempted Highway 413 from the Environmental Assessment Act and accelerated property acquisitions. The planned route would cut through portions of Caledon, crossing waterways and Greenbelt land. Local opposition was intense, with surveys showing strong majorities of Caledon residents opposed to the highway. Environmental groups warned the project would destroy wetlands, pave over farmland, and encourage suburban sprawl, while supporters argued it was necessary to relieve congestion in the growing region.

The Greenbelt controversy cast a long shadow over the riding. After the provincial government attempted to remove land from the Greenbelt for development in late 2022, the resulting scandal — which led to the resignations of two cabinet ministers and a public apology from Premier Ford in September 2023 — reinforced concerns about development pressure on agricultural and environmentally sensitive land in Dufferin—Caledon.

Healthcare access remained a major concern. Orangeville’s Headwaters Health Care Centre, the only hospital in Dufferin County, served a growing population with constrained capacity. Family physician shortages persisted across the riding, with many residents unable to find a regular doctor. Emergency department overcrowding at Headwaters prompted calls for expanded services and additional healthcare infrastructure to serve the region’s rapidly growing communities in Bolton and Shelburne.