federal ridings toronto

5 hotly contested Toronto ridings in the 2015 federal election

With the 2015 federal election now just days away, candidates across Toronto are making a final push for votes. This year, tweaked riding boundaries and the creation of two new electoral districts within the city have resulted in several seriously tight contests, according to polls. In 2011, six Toronto ridings were decided by 1,000 votes or less, and this year looks set to see just as many close calls.

Here's a look at 5 Toronto ridings that are going down to the wire.

Spadina-Fort York
Perhaps the most publicized Toronto showdown is taking place in the new federal riding that covers a large chunk of the downtown core. Current and former Trinity-Spadina MPs Adam Vaughan and Olivia Chow are polling roughly neck-and-neck, with the Conservative candidate Sabrina Zuniga a distant third.

Eglinton-Lawrence
Conservative finance minister Joe Oliver is facing Liberal lawyer Marco Mendicino and former NDP Saskatchewan finance minister Andrew Thomson. Between 1979 and 2011, the riding was a Liberal stronghold, electing Roland de Corneille three times and Joe Volpe seven. A recent poll suggests the area might be trending back to its roots: Oliver trailed Mendicino by six points a month ago.

Scarborough Southwest
Controversial former Toronto police chief Bill Blair is running for the Liberals in Scarborough Southwest against NDP incumbent Dan Harris and Conservative Roshan Nallaratnam. According to the results of a recent poll, this riding could go in any direction. Blair took an early lead, but has been steadily sliding and is currently neck-and-neck with Harris. Nallaratnam is running a close third.

Etobicoke Centre
In 2011, Conservative candidate Ted Opitz squeaked to victory in Etobicoke Centre by just 26 votes, unseating Liberal incumbent Borys Wrzesnewskyj. The result withstood a 2012 Supreme Court of Canada challenge by Wrzesnewskyj, but the recent surge for the Liberal party could turn the tide. Tanya De Mello (NDP) and Shaun Rizvi (Green) are also on the ballot.

University-Rosedale
Smooshed together out of parts of Trinity-Spadina and Toronto Centre, the new downtown University-Rosedale riding pits journalist Chrystia Freeland (Liberal) against TV personality Jennifer Hollett (NDP). Polls suggests the pair are deadlocked, so it's anyone's guess how the result will go on Oct. 19. In 2011, the eastern Rosedale portion of the new riding was Liberal and the western part was NDP.

Follow Chris Bateman on Twitter at @chrisbateman.

Image: BruceK /blogTO Flickr pool.


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