Trinity-Spadina
Riding Info
This downtown Toronto riding contains some of city's most famous landmarks, such as the CN Tower, Rogers Centre (formerly known as the SkyDome), the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) grounds, the Art Gallery of Ontario, Chinatown, Little Italy and Kensington Market.
The riding extends from the CP Rail line just beyond Dupont Street in the north to the Toronto Harbour and Islands in the south. In the west, it begins at Dufferin Street, Dovercourt Road and Ossington Avenue, and is bounded on the east by Avenue Road/Queen's Park Circle and Yonge Street.
In the 2007 redistribution, the new riding absorbed 96 per cent of the old Trinity-Spadina riding and two per cent of Toronto Centre-Rosedale.
Population: 115,361 (2006 census; an increase of 8.7% since 2001)
Political history
The NDP's Rosario Marchese has held the riding since its creation in 1999. In 2007, Marchese beat Liberal Kate Holloway by 4,328 votes. He won by more 6,000 votes in both the 2003 and the 1999 elections.
In the old riding of Fort York, part of which would later become Trinity-Spadina, Liberal Bob Wong defeated New Democrat Joe Pantalone in 1987 by only 137 votes. Wong held several cabinet portfolios before being defeated by Marchese in 1990, by about 1,500 votes, and in 1995, by more than 2,000 votes.
St. Andrew-St. Patrick, formerly known as St. Andrew, was redistributed among the Trinity-Spadina, Toronto Centre-Rosedale and other ridings in 1999.
In 1990, New Democrat Zanana Akande won the St. Andrew-St. Patrick seat. She served as community and social services minister in Bob Rae's cabinet, but left it in the following year amid accusations of rent-gouging. She resigned from the legislature in 1994. In 1995, Tory Isabel Bassett won the riding and was later appointed to the cabinet of Mike Harris. After losing in the 1999 election, Bassett was appointed head of TVOntario.
Demographics
Candidates
PSN - Danish Ahmed
SPO - Guy Fogel
PHR - Araba Ocran-Caesar
FP - Silvio Ursomarzo