Durham

Durham, a riding in the eastern Greater Toronto Area centred on the Municipality of Clarington, saw Progressive Conservative Todd McCarthy seek his second term in 2025. McCarthy, a longtime trial lawyer, won the seat in 2022 after the previous MPP, Lindsey Park, left the PC caucus in 2021 over allegations related to her COVID-19 vaccination status. During his first term, McCarthy served as Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and was acclaimed as the PC candidate for 2025. The riding, which includes Bowmanville, Courtice, Newcastle, and Orono as well as the Township of Scugog, continued to experience rapid suburban growth along the Highway 401 corridor.

Candidates

Todd McCarthy (Progressive Conservative) — McCarthy practiced as a trial lawyer for over thirty years, serving as senior partner at Flaherty McCarthy LLP, a firm co-founded by the late federal finance minister Jim Flaherty. He was certified as a specialist in civil litigation in 1996 and served as a deputy judge of the Durham Region small claims court. He also taught as an adjunct professor at Queen’s University Faculty of Law and at Durham College. He served as president of the Durham Region Law Association.

Brad Jakobsen (Liberal) — Jakobsen is a long-time Clarington resident. The 2025 election was his first campaign for provincial office.

Chris Borgia (NDP) — Borgia is an electrician and member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 353. He has served as president of the Durham Region Labour Council and ran as the NDP candidate in the riding in both 2022 and 2025.

Sanjin Zeco (Green Party), James Leventakis (New Blue Party), Asif Khan (Consensus Ontario), Sheri Thurston (Ontario Party), and Fawad Kiyani (Independent) also appeared on the ballot.

Local Issues

The Bowmanville Hospital redevelopment was a central issue during the 2022 to 2025 term. Lakeridge Health’s plan to more than double the size of the Bowmanville Hospital advanced through the procurement phase, with a request for qualifications issued in August 2024 to identify construction teams for the project. The expansion is expected to add beds, expand critical care services, and introduce new ambulatory care clinics and a hemodialysis centre. While the expansion was welcomed, residents expressed frustration with the pace of progress given the riding’s surging population and the existing facility’s capacity constraints.

Rapid residential growth in Bowmanville and Courtice remained the defining dynamic of the riding. New subdivisions continued to expand, bringing young families but also straining local schools, roads, and recreational facilities. Long-time residents voiced concern that infrastructure development was not keeping up with the population influx. The completion of the Highway 407 East extension through Clarington years earlier had improved highway connectivity but also accelerated development pressures.

Energy infrastructure was also an important local concern. Ontario Power Generation’s operations in Clarington, including the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station, provided significant local employment. The refurbishment of the Darlington reactors, a multi-year project that reached completion during the term, reinforced the riding’s role as a centre of Ontario’s nuclear energy industry. OPG’s relocation of its corporate headquarters to the former General Motors building in Oshawa and the approval of a small modular reactor at the Darlington site generated both economic optimism and community debate about the future of the energy sector in Durham Region.