Markham—Thornhill

Markham—Thornhill sits in the heart of York Region, covering portions of Thornhill and central Markham in one of the most ethnically diverse municipalities in Canada. Progressive Conservative Logan Kanapathi had represented the riding since its creation in 2018, winning re-election in 2022. During the 43rd Parliament, Kanapathi focused on securing provincial investment for the widening of Highway 7 and advocating for expanded GO Train service in the corridor. With Doug Ford seeking an unprecedented third consecutive majority in February 2025, the contest in Markham—Thornhill was expected to test whether the Liberals could make inroads in a riding the PCs had held comfortably.

Candidates

Logan Kanapathi (Progressive Conservative) — Kanapathi was born in Sri Lanka and fled the country as a refugee in 1983. He is recognized as the first Tamil elected to public office in North America. Before entering provincial politics, he served as a Markham city councillor for twelve years and held the role of Budget Chief for the City of Markham.

Nirmala Armstrong (Liberal) — Armstrong is a lawyer and former York Region councillor with over 30 years of community involvement in Markham. She holds degrees from the University of Toronto, Queen’s University Faculty of Law, and a Master of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School. She was the first South Asian woman elected as a regional councillor in Markham.

Paul Sahbaz (NDP) — Sahbaz was the Ontario NDP’s nominated candidate in the riding.

The remaining candidates included Shane O’Brien for the Green Party.

Local Issues

Transit and growth management were the central preoccupations of residents during the 2022–2025 term. The Yonge North Subway Extension, which would extend TTC Line 1 north from Finch Station through York Region, advanced through procurement milestones, with a request for proposals for the tunnelling contract issued in late 2023. The project promised to transform transit access for parts of the riding, but residents and municipal leaders remained anxious about whether schools, hospitals, and road infrastructure would keep pace with the transit-oriented development planned along the corridor.

Housing affordability continued to weigh on voters. Home prices in the Markham area, while experiencing some correction from their 2022 peaks, remained beyond the reach of many first-time buyers and newcomers. The provincial government’s push for higher-density development around transit stations raised questions about neighbourhood character in a riding that blends established low-rise residential areas with newer condominium clusters.

The Greenbelt controversy of 2023 cast a shadow over the broader political conversation in York Region. The Ford government’s decision to remove lands from the Greenbelt for housing development, the subsequent Auditor General and Integrity Commissioner reports revealing that certain developers had been favoured, and the ultimate reversal of those changes became fodder for opposition candidates across the GTA suburbs.