Wellington - Halton Hills

This southern Ontario riding surrounds the city of Guelph. It contains the townships of Centre Wellington, Guelph/Eramosa and Puslinch, the town of Erin and the town of Halton Hills.

Manufacturing is the mainstay of the economy. The 2006 census shows an average family income of $110,505 and an unemployment rate of 3.8 per cent.

Wellington-Halton Hills riding was created in the 2004 redistribution from 31 per cent of Halton, 21 per cent of Waterloo-Wellington, 13 per cent of Guelph-Wellington and nine per cent of Dufferin-Peel-Wellington-Grey.

Population: 111,241 (2006 census; an increase of 10.6% since 2001)

Political History

In 2006, Conservative Michael Chong won this riding after he received 50 per cent of the vote and defeated Liberal Rod Finnie by a margin of 11,842.

Chong also won Wellington-Halton Hills in 2004, capturing 2,306 more votes than Liberal Bruce Hood.

Liberal Julian Reed served three terms in Halton riding from 1993-2004. PC Garth Turner, a minister of national revenue, was elected there in 1988.

Liberal Lynn Myers won in Waterloo-Wellington in 1997 and again in 2000, when he defeated Chong, who was then running as a Progressive Conservative. Myers won a third term in 2004 in Kitchener-Conestoga riding.

Wellington-Halton Hills:

• 2004, 2006 - CON