Federal Election 2015: Kitchener South-Hespeler riding results

Summary: A suburban riding bridging Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge, the new riding of Kitchener South-Hespeler will elect a new MP in 2015.

Boundaries: Generally speaking, the riding is bounded by Highway 401 and New Dundee Road to the south, Fischer-Hallman Road to the west, the Conestoga Parkway, King Street Bypass and Fairway Road to the north, and the Waterloo Region’s eastern boundaries to the east.

Last Election: This is a new seat created from Kitchener-Conestoga (which elected Conservative MP Harold Albrecht by 32.4 per cent in 2011), Kitchener Centre (which elected Conservative MP Stephen Woodworth by 11.1 per cent) and Cambridge (which elected Conservative MP Gary Goodyear by 25.7 per cent). None of them are running here.

Had this riding existed in the last election, the Conservatives would have taken it by 25.4 per cent more votes than the NDP (based on polling results).

History: The area between Kitchener and Cambridge has been part of many ridings over the years, but has generally gone to the Conservatives outside the 1993-2004 Chretien/Martin era. Decades ago, the area was held by NDP MP Max Saltzman from 1964 to 1979.

Demographics: A younger suburban riding, the median age of 36 (as of the 2011 census) is the lowest in Ontario outside the GTA.

Candidates

Conservative: Marian Gagné, former small business owner and Conservative Party worker

NDP: Lorne Bruce, vice-president of a United Food and Commerical Workers Local

Liberal: Marwan Tabbara, line technician at Frito Lay

Green: David Weber, police officer

Libertarian: Nathan Lajeunesse

Marxist-Leninist: Elaine Baetz