Summary: The Liberals are looking to keep the only riding in southern Ontario they won last election—but they’ll have to do it with a new candidate. MP Frank Valeriote, elected here in 2008 and 2011, is retiring.
Boundaries: The municipal and electoral boundaries are exactly the same for Guelph, centre of Ontario’s 12th largest metropolitan area.
Last Election: Liberal Valeriote was re-elected with a 10.7 per cent margin of victory over Conservative Marty Burke.
History: The riding has been held by the Liberals since 1993, with Brenda Chamberlain elected to five terms from 1993 to 2008. Prior to that, the city had elected a Progressive Conservative MP for all but one election between 1972 and 1993.
Demographics: The 2011 population for Guelph was 121,690, the seventh highest number for an electoral district in Ontario.
Candidates
Conservative: Gloria Kovach, city councillor from 1990 to 2014, and 2008 candidate for the Conservatives here
NDP: Andrew Seagram, community organizer and founder of the Guelph Comedy Festival
Liberal: Lloyd Longfield, former Guelph Chamber of Commerce president and CEO
Green: Gord Miller, former Environmental Commissioner of Ontario
Communist: Tristan Dineen
Marijuana: Kornelis Klevering