The electoral district of Richmond Hill is located about 30 km north of Toronto in the Regional Municipality of York. It is situated between Vaughan and Markham and is shaping up to be an interesting race between two political parties.
Majid Jowhari, current MP, is seeking re-election for the Liberals. He has represented the riding since 2015 and was re-elected in 2019 with 43.5% of the vote. His was one of the closest margins across all the GTA districts, only 212 votes.
Conservative candidate, Costas Menegakis took 43.1%, followed by Adam DeVita of the NDP with 8.8% of the vote.
Between the years 2011 to 2015, Menegakis represented the constituency as a member of the Conservative Party. He had been elected by defeating Bryon Wilfert, who represented the riding for the Liberals between 2004-2011.
Historically, the district has been a Liberal stronghold, however, some polls suggest that may change. According to the latest projections by 338Canada.com (August 28), which uses algorithms that take into account results of all major polls, the Liberals trail the Conservatives by 9.5%.
Adam DeVita, candidate for the NDP aims to garner support for the NDP, currently at 10.9%. Candidates for the Greens and PPC aim to do the same. This is the second time, since 2019, that all five candidates will face each other in a general election.
With a population of 107,845 residents, the riding is home to a number of culturally diverse ethnic groups including the Chinese and Iranian communities. According to the 2016 Census, the most recent data available, roughly one in three residents identify as Chinese, making it the largest ethnic group in the constituency. Italians make up 8% of the constituents in the district, still a very significant portion of the population.
Candidates were not available for comment prior to our going to print.
Photo credit: The Federal electoral district of Richmond Hill, Elections Canada
