Ontario vote shows regional split

A quick look at the electoral map following Thursday’s election reveals obvious regional divides in party popularity.

There were clear divisions among the parties, with each specializing in a certain kind of riding.

Northern Ontario was clearly NDP country, although the party also picked up a few ridings in downtown Toronto, Hamilton and Windsor.

The Liberals are an urban party, taking the overwhelming majority of downtown ridings, as seen in this map of Toronto.

The Liberals’ urban appeal is even clearer in Ottawa, where all the urban ridings went Liberal.

The Progressive Conservatives won suburban and rural ridings in southern and eastern Ontario, but had a hard time breaking into urban areas. They failed to take a single riding in the 416 area code, and even had disappointing results in the 905, despite a few strong candidates.

At this point, it is hard to say what effect this regional divide will have on the legislature, but parties might want to broaden their appeal next election.