Parkdale—High Park

Parkdale—High Park entered the 2025 election with a new NDP candidate for the first time since 2014. Bhutila Karpoche, who had held the seat since 2018 and became the first person of Tibetan descent elected to public office in North America, announced in late 2024 that she would not seek re-election provincially in order to pursue the federal NDP nomination in the riding. Her departure opened a competitive race for one of the NDP’s safest Toronto seats. The riding stretches from the dense, renter-heavy neighbourhood of South Parkdale through the established residential areas around Roncesvalles Village and High Park, encompassing a diverse mix of newcomers, young families, and long-time residents.

Housing affordability and tenant protections had been the defining political issues in the riding for years, and the 2022–2025 term saw continued pressure from gentrification, above-guideline rent increases, and renovictions in South Parkdale. Karpoche had used her time at Queen’s Park to champion mental health legislation and tenant rights, leaving large shoes to fill for her successor.

Candidates

Alexa Gilmour (NDP) — Gilmour is a United Church minister who served for a decade at Windermere United Church in the riding. She founded several community initiatives including the Stone Soup Network, the There For You program, and Neighbours Helping Neighbours, which provided support during the pandemic. Her community organizing work focused on reducing homelessness, supporting refugees, and fostering inclusivity.

Nadia Guerrera (Liberal) — Guerrera is an educator in the Toronto Catholic District School Board who also works on industry-academic partnerships for Loyalist College. This was her third time running as a Liberal candidate in the riding. She created a Holodomor curriculum used in classrooms across Canada and founded Orwell Art, a program that engages youth in civics through the arts.

Justine Teplycky (Progressive Conservative) — Teplycky is a four-time Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist who worked at Newstalk 1010 before transitioning to politics. She served as director of communications in multiple Ontario government ministries and worked as a political staffer for Progressive Conservative cabinet ministers.

Anna Gorka, an architect and flood mitigation advocate, ran for the Green Party. Geoffrey Corfield ran for the New Blue Party, and Rimmy Riarh for the Communist Party.

Local Issues

Housing remained the overriding issue in Parkdale—High Park. South Parkdale, where approximately 87 percent of households are renters, continued to experience displacement pressures between 2022 and 2025. In 2024, the Parkdale Housing Justice Network successfully lobbied the City of Toronto to reject a major development proposal at King and Cowan by KingSett Capital, gathering over 1,500 petition signatures, though the developer appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal. The provincial government’s changes to the Ontario Land Tribunal process and its housing legislation drew criticism from tenant advocates who argued they favoured developers over existing communities.

Mental health and addiction services remained closely tied to the riding’s struggles with homelessness and displacement. The riding’s mix of newcomers, low-income renters, and individuals experiencing homelessness made access to supportive services an ongoing priority. The Ford government’s changes to supervised consumption site policies during the term added another layer of concern for community organizations serving vulnerable populations. Education and childcare were also raised as issues, with parents and teachers pointing to the impacts of funding pressures on public schools serving the riding’s economically diverse communities.