Most and least engaged ridings

Payback time

Mar 05, 2025

∙ Paid

ABOVE THE FOLD

The tariff situation is blowing up — but first: here are the best and worst ridings for voter turnout.

RIDINGS, RANKED — Elections Ontario’s official results are in, and I parsed the numbers to find out where the most and least-engaged voters were at during this rare snap winter campaign. Here’s how the ridings stack up when it comes to voter turnout:

Lowest turnout:

Kiiwetinoong: 24.7% turnout
Etobicoke North (Premier DOUG FORD’s riding): 33.52%
Humber River-Black Creek: 34.76%
Brampton East: 34.98%
Richmond Hill: 35.10%
Brampton West: 35.15%
Brampton Centre: 35.58%
Markham-Unionville: 35.65%
Brampton South: 35.83%
Scarborough North: 35.92%

Highest turnout:

Huron-Bruce: 55.65%
Haldimand-Norfolk: 54.77%
Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas: 54.73%
Parry Sound-Muskoka: 54.92%
Niagara West: 54.76%
Burlington: 53.33%
Perth-Wellington: 53.33%
Peterborough-Kawartha: 52.98%
Northumberland-Peterborough South: 52.86%
Parkdale-High Park: 52.24%

A message from Ontario’s Universities:

Building Tomorrow’s Industries Means Building Talent Today

Ontario’s universities are vital to the province’s economic growth and security, preparing skilled graduates to meet the demands in critical sectors such as automotive and EV, advanced manufacturing, life sciences and more. It is now more critical than ever for the provincial government to invest in Ontario’s universities in order to ensure we have the talent and innovation that Ontario needs to prosper – learn more.

TARIFF LATEST — Canada is hitting back at the U.S. with retaliatory tariffs. In Ontario, DOUG FORD insists his (soon-to-be-shuffled?) Cabinet can do everything it needs to do without the Legislature, which won’t reconvene until March 17 at the earliest — but Official Opposition NDP Leader MARIT STILES isn’t so sure, demanding Ford recall the House to pass tariff-fighting policies.

Ford took the opportunity to again throw shade at Liberal Leader BONNIE CROMBIE, pointedly saying he’s spoken with Stiles and Green Leader MIKE SCHREINER re: his tariff-fighting plan, but he left Crombie out of that conversation.

In a letter to Senators, Congresspeople and Governors, Ford doubled down on his threat to shut off electricity exports to New York, Michigan and Minnesota. “Trump has left us no choice…If these tariffs persist or if the Trump administration moves forward with any additional tariffs, Ontario will apply a 25 per cent surcharge on the electricity we export…I won’t hesitate to increase this surcharge or, if necessary, shut the electricity off completely.”

Ford’s approach is getting attention. HOWARD LUTNICK, DONALD TRUMP’s Commerce Secretary, rang Ford up for a “tough and aggressive” chat in which Lutnick told Ford to back off retaliatory tariffs, but Ford is sticking to his guns. CTV News reports.

Trump is also dealing with ticked-off Republicans who are worried about the impact of tariffs on American consumers and workers. Trump seemed to brush them off in his speech to Congress on Tuesday, vowing another wave of tariffs but noting “there may be a little bit of an adjustment period.”

Meanwhile, Ontario is taking American booze off LCBO shelves, ripping up the Starlink contract, eyeing surcharges on critical mineral exports and drafting “Buy Ontario” procurement legislation. Ford is also urging people to lay off Trump pal WAYNE GRETZKY.

HAPPENING TODAY

10 a.m.: Liberal Leader BONNIE CROMBIE will address the tariff situation at Queen’s Park.

CLIPPINGS

— OUR MAN IN WASHINGTON: “DAVID PATERSON, Ontario’s trade representative, said Canada is in for a ‘tough time for a period’ as tariffs take effect on both sides of the border. But he doesn’t think it’s time to panic.” Q-and-A from the Globe.

— RECOUNTS: Elections Ontario’s official results are in and the close calls in Mushkegowuk-James Bay and Mississauga-Erin Mills held up, which means they’re heading for recounts. The NDP kept the former riding by a slim four votes, while the PCs held on in the latter by 20. Recounts are automatic when the margin of victory is within 25 votes.