The electoral district of York South-Weston is situated in the west end of Toronto. It spans an area of about 25 square km and includes neighbourhoods like Mount Dennis, Rustic and Weston.

A predominately working-class area, a considerable portion of residents are employed in the district’s core industries like construction, health care, manufacturing and retail trade. The opportunities available to residents have also made the area a desirable place for immigrants to set down roots. More than half of the local population are first generation immigrants.

Statistics Canada says 14,710 residents self-identify as Italian Canadian. They are among the largest ethnic groups originating from Europe at 13% of the district’s population.

Provincially, the district has a history of representation by the Liberals and the NDP. Faisal Hassan, the incumbent, seeks to retain his seat for the NDP and secure a second term as MPP.

When asked how he plans to address the needs of constituents in his riding, Faisal acknowledged the need for a government that is focused on improving services like healthcare and education. He pointed to parts of his Party’s platform which aims to “make life more affordable by taking action to bring down the cost of auto insurance, restore rent control and bring in $10-a-day childcare”.

In 2018, Faisal won the seat from the Liberals (who held the riding for 11 years) with 36% support of the electorate (13,455 votes). He beat the PC (who took 32% of the vote) by a margin of 1,165 votes. That year, the Liberals took 27% of the vote.

Since its creation in 1999, the district has never been represented by a member of the PC Party. That may be about to change. PC candidate Michael Ford appears to be gaining more support in the district.

He told the Corriere that he is focused on responding to constituents’ concerns and that he “will fight to keep taxes low and to make life more affordable for residents”. He also shared parts of his Party’s platform to invest in local economic growth and job creation, build transit infrastructure and measures to keep communities safe. Ford shared his vision for his constituency in an extensive interview with the Corriere on May 2 (click here for full interview).

His closest contender is candidate Nadia Guerrera. She aims to boost support for the Liberals. She did not respond to our request for input as at time of going to print.

With just over one week left until election day (June 2), the riding could still be up for grabs. According to the most recent projections by 338Canada.com (May 23), the PC’s are in the lead at 33%. The prediction model uses algorithms that take all major polls into account. It show the Liberals trailing by four points at 29%, followed by the NDP at 28%.

District map: Elections Ontario. Inset: Wikipedia, Ajbutler