Riding Profile:
This affluent downtown Toronto riding boasts the second highest average
family income in Ontario and the highest rate of university graduates
(34 per cent).
This almost completely residential riding includes both the mansions
of Forest Hill and the multicultural, working-class neighbourhood that
straddle St. Clair Avenue west of Bathurst Avenue.
In the 1999 redistribution, the new riding St. Paul's combined 21 per
cent of Dovercourt, 43 per cent of Eglinton, 34 per cent of Oakwood,
48 per cent of St. Andrew-St. Patrick and 12 per cent of St. George-St.
David.
Political History:
Tory Allan Grossman won in the riding of St. Andrew in 1955, 1959
and 1963, then won the St. Andrew-St. Patrick riding in 1967 and 1971.
His son, Larry Grossman, won the riding for the PCs in 1975, 1977, 1981
and 1985. Larry Grossman became Conservative leader in the second of
two leadership races the party held in 1985. He resigned in 1987 after
losing his seat to Liberal Ron Kanter in the 1987 election.
In 1990, NDP candidate Zanana Akande won the seat; she was appointed
to the Bob Rae cabinet, but quit 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.
The riding of Eglinton was held by Tories Leonard Mackenzie Reilly
(1963-75), Roy McMurtry (1975-85) and David McFadden (1985-87). Liberal
Dianne Poole broke the Tory stranglehold in 1987, beating McFadden by
just 695 votes. Poole won again in 1990 by an even smaller margin --
173 votes -- but was defeated by Tory Bill Saunderson in 1995.
Main > Ridings
