Different Toronto neighbourhoods in same ridings focused on similar key issues
Posted May 20, 2022 3:23 pm.
Last Updated May 20, 2022 5:56 pm.
Within two key ridings in Toronto, each one has two distinct neighbourhoods with different demographics of the area, leading to different voting patterns. But despite the breakdown, the key issue of affordability is weighing on everyone’s mind in the Ontario election.
In Parkdale-High Park, the area is broken down into the main areas of South Parkdale and High-Park Swansea, but also include Bloor West Village and Lambton-Baby Point.
In Don Valley East, Flemingdon Park, Parkwoods-O’Connor Hills and Fenside-Parkwoods make up the riding.
The residents who make up these neighbourhoods are starkly different from one another, despite voting for the same representation.
In South Parkdale, visible minorities make up 48.1 per cent of those who live in the neighbourhood. A total of 86.6 per cent of people rent in the area while the median family income is $61,000.
Just a few blocks away in High Park-Swansea, only 19.1 per cent of the population is a visible minority and renters make up just over 43 per cent. The median family income is double what it is in South Parkdale at $123,000.
But how does this affect how voters cast their ballot? In 2018, Parkdale-High Park remained NDP, as it has since 2006, with Bhutila Karpoche collecting almost 60 per cent of the vote
South Parkdale voted overwhelmingly for the NDP candidate, according to approximate numbers based on random polling sites in these areas, with 66 per cent voting for Karpoche while 14 per cent went to the Liberals and 12.5 per cent went to the PC Party. Voter turnout was just 45 per cent, well below the province’s voter turnout at 58 per cent.
Meanwhile, High-Park Swansea, who had 53 per cent of voters participate, saw 49.5 per cent of their vote go for the NDP, but unlike South Parkdale, the PC Party finished second with 23 per cent and the Liberals collected 20 per cent.
Karpoche will be running as the incumbent once again and will be facing off against two new faces, Karim Bardeesy for the Liberals, and for the PCs, Monika Frejlich.
Karpoche said when she speaks with people in both neighbourhoods, a lot of the ideas they’re focused on are similar.
“I’m hearing the same issues, no matter where I am in the riding. People want to see our health-care system fixed. People want to fix people want us to address affordability issues. People want to see us taking better care of seniors.”
She adds they may have different priorities, but the issues remain the same.
Housing affordability, Karpoche said, has remained top of mind for all demographics despite whether they rent or own.
“People understand that when it comes to, for example, the housing crisis, whether it is to rent or to own, the price of housing is out of control. And while a homeowner might not be in a situation where rents are increasing, they may have children who are renting in the city who are experiencing the skyrocketing rents, whose dream of home ownership is getting further and further away.”
Liberal candidate Bardeesy said affordability has been a big issue in all areas.
“People are touched by it in different ways. People on the ends of the income spectrum are struggling to make ends meet.”
Don Valley East has been a Liberal stronghold since its creation in 1999, but just two points and just over 1,000 votes separated the winner, Liberal candidate Michael Coteau, from PC candidate Denzil Minnan-Wong in 2018.
The seat has been left vacant for the 2022 election after Coteau resigned to run for the federal seat, which he won in 2021. Coteau also ran for the Ontario Liberal leadership prior to leaving his seat and finished second behind Steven Del Duca.
When breaking down the Don Valley East, visible minorities account for 80.9 per cent of those who live in Flemingdon Park versus 44.3 per cent in Parkwoods-O’Connor Hills. The vast majority of those in Flemingdon Park live in 5+-storey apartment buildings at 78.2 per cent compared to 32.9 per cent in Parkwoods.
While the median family income in $91,000 in Parkwoods, in Flemingdon Park, it is almost half that at $52,000.
In Flemingdon Park, according to random polling sites in these areas, voters were split down the middle with the Liberal and NDP candidate, each capturing 38 per cent of the vote with the PC candidate receiving 22 per cent.
Parkwoods-O’Connor Hills tipped the scales in favour of the Liberals, but they were also divided between the Liberals and the PC party, each with 35 per cent of the vote. Another 24 per cent voted NDP.
Fresh faces fill the ballot for 2022 with Dr. Adil Shamji running for the Liberals, Mara-Elena Nagy for the NDP and Sam Moini for the PCs.
Like Parkdale-High Park, affordability and the rising cost of living is the main issue most voters are concerned and affected by, but in different ways.
“Perhaps in the south of the riding, people may think of affordability in terms of the cost of a metro pass and further north in the riding, they may be thinking of gas prices. But fundamentally, they are worried about affordability and those things don’t need to be mutually exclusive,” said Shamji.
“For some people, [affordability] might be making their rent payment month-to-month but for some folks that also means they’re worried their kids or their grand-kids aren’t going to be able to break into the housing market,” NDP candidate Nagy tells CityNews. “The interesting thing is that everybody on some level has the same concern. Everybody is inherently worried about everybody.”
CityNews reached out to the Progressive Conservative candidate in each riding, but did not get a response.
How candidates approach different neighbourhoods
Political and public relations strategist, Sarbjit Kaur, tells CityNews these different priorities may dictate how a candidate might approach different voters.
“When you knock on those doors, even on that very basic grassroots level, you look at who’s in the house and based on the conversation that you have with them, you figure out what they’re going to be most likely interested in and speak to them about what they’re going to be find most value to them.”
A strategy Shamhi said he has adopted: “I approach different parts of the writing by listening to what their concerns are and then responding to them on a very personal and tailored level.”
Kaur says the bottom line is that some parties will end up avoiding areas they believe they don’t have a chance in.
“Most parties do the number-crunching. They understand where their existing support is and where the most of their potential support is. And they have limited time, limited resources so they need to focus on where they think they can keep those seats at a riding level.
“Within the riding if you have to make a tough choice about which community or which demographic or part of that world is known to come out for your party or is known to be very active on election day, people definitely will target especially as time goes on.”
Advanced voting has already begun in Ontario and election day is fast approaching on June 2. To read more on each of the party’s promises on key issues, click here.
