London North Centre

London North Centre encompasses the central and northern portions of the City of London, including the downtown core, the campus of Western University, and surrounding residential neighbourhoods that range from heritage homes near the Thames River to newer subdivisions along the city's northern edge. NDP MPP Terence Kernaghan, a former elementary school teacher-librarian, sought a third consecutive term after first winning the seat in 2018. During the 2022-2025 term, Kernaghan served as the NDP's shadow minister for small business, non-profits, and the arts, and focused his constituency work on housing, public education, and health care.

The riding's electorate is shaped by the significant presence of Western University and its affiliated institutions, giving the seat a younger and more transient character than many Ontario ridings. The 2022 contest saw Kernaghan win by approximately four thousand votes over the Progressive Conservative candidate, and the 2025 race drew a strong PC challenger in London city councillor Jerry Pribil.

Candidates

Terence Kernaghan (NDP) — First elected in 2018, Kernaghan served as the NDP's shadow minister for small business, non-profits, and the arts during the 2022-2025 term. Before entering politics, he was an elementary school teacher-librarian who focused on critical literacy, digital citizenship, media literacy, and social justice. He was seeking his third consecutive term representing London North Centre.

Jerry Pribil (Progressive Conservative) — A London city councillor representing Ward 5 who took a leave from council to run for the provincial seat. Pribil is the owner and operator of Marienbad Restaurant and Chaucer's Pub in downtown London and has extensive international experience in the hospitality and tourism industry, having held executive positions across five countries. He has also served as a university professor in the United States and Europe.

Tariq Khan (Liberal) — A former commissioner of the London Transit Commission and current director of Cancer Registries Canada. Khan has more than three decades of experience in senior management positions within the public, private, non-profit, and health sectors. He moved to London in 2010 and has been active in community advocacy around health care and transit.

Carol Dyck (Green Party) — The Green Party candidate in the riding.

Minor candidates included Chris Wile (New Blue Party) and Paul Mckeever (Freedom Party).

Local Issues

The housing affordability crisis was at the forefront of debate in London North Centre throughout the 2022-2025 term. The riding's mix of student renters, young professionals, and families made it particularly sensitive to rising rents and the shortage of affordable housing. Average monthly rents in London climbed steadily, and the city's subsidized housing wait list grew to nearly seven thousand households. Homelessness became increasingly visible in and around the downtown core, and the debate over how to balance neighbourhood concerns with the urgent need for supportive housing services generated significant community tension.

Health care access was a pressing concern, particularly the shortage of family physicians. Western University's decision during the term to restrict access to its employee and family health clinic drew pushback from faculty unions, who argued that the institution should be expanding, not limiting, access to primary care in a city facing a doctor shortage. Staffing pressures at London Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph's Health Care contributed to emergency department overcrowding, and residents expressed frustration that population growth had outpaced health system capacity.

Public education and the vitality of the downtown core were closely linked issues. Kernaghan's advocacy for public education funding and campus safety resonated with the riding's large student population, while Pribil drew on his experience as a downtown business owner and councillor to address concerns about economic development, safety, and the quality of life in the city centre. The interplay between the university community and the broader city shaped many of the riding's policy debates around transit, housing, and economic opportunity.