Check this story again for regular updates as the local results come in tonight. To catch up on the latest developments in the provincial race, go to our Ontario Votes page.
UPDATE, 10:55 p.m.
Michael Parsa emphasized the need for a strong response to U.S. tariffs during his victory speech on election night.
Parsa ultimately won the election with 57 per cent of the vote, touting it as the largest margin of victory he’s won by in his political career. Parsa beat out closest challenger Liberal candidate Jason Cherniak by nearly 8,000 votes, with early numbers showing a voter turnout figure of less than 38 per cent.
“We left no stone unturned,” Parsa said during a short victory speech. “We didn't take anything for granted and we went to the voters. We went to the people because we know how serious some of these threats are to our economy, to our jobs, the people.”
Tariffs were the big theme during Parsa’s brief remarks, saying that “Ontario belongs to Ontarians.”
“We did not pick any of this,” he said. “The challenges that are coming toward us were started elsewhere, but we will defend the interests of Ontarians and Ontario and we will leave no stone unturned, because Ontario belongs to Ontarians, it isn't for sale and we will always be there to protect it.”
Parsa thanked his supporters, and constituents and congratulated the other candidates on the campaign.
Liberal candidate Jason Cherniak said the Ontario Liberal’s focus on health care may have hindered the party’s election success, as final results confirmed his second-place finish with 33.9 per cent of the vote, well behind incumbent Parsa.
“We ran a good local campaign and we were ready to take advantage if the Ontario Liberal Party did well in the GTA,” said Cherniak. “Obviously, I'm not happy with the results, but I'm not completely surprised either. I'm glad that we were able to do better than the last election of the Liberals in the riding. I think we are well positioned to win in the next election, when Ontarians are focused on provincial issues.”
Cherniak said while the Liberal’s focus on health care secured a sizeable vote share, it did not translate into official opposition status, with the NDP coming in second, and Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie failing to win a seat.
“In hindsight, I think it would have been better to have a more direct appeal based on tariffs in the economy,” he said.
Cherniak added he was open to the possibility of running for office again in the future.
“Theoretically, the next election is four years from now, but with Doug Ford, it might only be 2.5 years, so I don't know for sure.”
UPDATE, 10:15 p.m.
With 54 of 54 polls reporting, the unofficial results show Michael Parsa winning re-election as MPP for Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill for the third time.
Parsa is working his way to the stage through a crowd of supporters, hugging and smiling as he goes.
Parsa won 57 per cent of the vote, with Cherniak coming in second with 34 per cent.
NDP candidate Naila Saeed came a distant third with 6 per cent of the vote.
Voter turnout was 37.81 per cent.
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UPDATE, 10:05 p.m.
A big cheer just broke out when Parsa’s face appeared on the big screen on election night coverage.
The screen behind the stage temporarily switched over to YouTube, preparing Parsa’s walk-in music. They appear to be choosing between Rocky Balboa’s theme or Kool and the Gang’s Celebration.
Applause and some whoops break out for the announcement that Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie did not win a seat.
With 98 per cent of polls reporting, and Parsa leading with 57 per cent of votes, he is set to arrive in five minutes.
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UPDATE, 9:45 p.m.
The mood is jovial at Michael Parsa’s election night party, as the Progressive Conservative candidate nears victory.
With 83 per cent of the polls reporting, Parsa holds a commanding lead, sitting at 58 per cent of the vote with 45 of 54 polls reporting.
Ontario Liberal candidate Jason Cherniak sits in second place with 33 per cent of the vote.
There’s plenty of smiles at Chef Reza, as campaign volunteers and family await the arrival of Parsa.
UPDATE, 9:10 p.m.
With pundits and media outlets already calling a Conservative majority, Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill Liberal candidate Jason Cherniak is hopeful that the Liberals “end up as the official opposition.”
“I feel like we ran a good campaign, I’m hoping that the Liberals end up as the official opposition with party status,” said Cherniak.
His volunteers and family gathered at State and Main near Yonge and Murray streets in Aurora for an election night party, with Emily Harradine, a campaign volunteer saying she felt “realistic but hopeful.”
“I would say the feedback that was given from people (during the campaign) was extremely positive and very decisive as to what they wanted to see,” she said.
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As the last of voters visit polling stations, Progressive Conservative campaign volunteers were brimming with confidence at candidate Michael Parsa’s election night party location.
Hoori Reyhani, who has volunteered on all three of Parsa’s election campaigns for Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill MPP, said the campaign was backed by a strong team, and she was near certain Parsa would be returning to Queen's Park for a third term.
“100 per cent we’re winning. I can’t say 100 per cent, 99 per cent we’re winning,” she said around 8:20 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27.
Members of Parsa's team were Reyhani’s daughter, Amethyst, and her husband, Frank, who also helped out with this campaign.
“It was very cold, it’s very challenging but we can accept the challenge,” said Amethys.
Numerous election signs were set up around a stage at Chef Reza Persian Grill in Oak Ridges, as campaign volunteers started to trickle in.
Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill voters faced a choice between Parsa, Ontario Liberal candidate Jason Cherniak, NDP candidate Naila Saeed, Green Party candidate Ikram Khan and New Blue candidate Rosaria Wiseman this election
During a truncated election campaign called early by Progressive Conservative leader Doug Ford, the Conservatives have focused their campaign on its response to U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threat.
Meanwhile the NDP's Marit Stiles has emphasized affordability measures, including a grocery rebate, as well as a new Homes Ontario agency to build more affordable housing.
The Bonnie Crombie-led Ontario Liberals’ main plank has been health care, with Crombie promising to get every Ontarian a family doctor within four years, as well as a middle-income tax cut.
Local Liberal candidate Cherniak had called out Parsa for not attending an all-candidates information session at Town Square in Aurora on Wednesday, Feb. 19.
Parsa has been in MPP for Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill since 2018, the first election contested in the then newly formed riding.
Parsa was first elected to office in 2018, after the riding had been created in 2015. He was re-elected in 2022.
Parsa won in 2018, receiving 25,214 votes, a 56 per cent share of the vote.
The runner-up in 2018 was Liberal candidate Naheed Yaqubian, who received 21.6 per cent, or 9,718 vote. In third came NDP candidate Katrina Sale, who received 18 per cent of the vote, totalling 8,116 votes.
In 2022, Parsa won with 53.3 per cent of the vote, obtaining 17,340 votes, beating out Liberal counterpart Marjan Kasirlou, who received 30.7 per cent of the vote, exactly 10,000 votes.
Since his initial election in 2018, Parsa has served in various parliamentary secretary roles, eventually becoming Minister of Children, Community and Social Services on March 24, 2023.
Coverage of the provincial election can be followed on AuroraToday’s Ontario Votes page.
Newmarket-Aurora
As polls near closing at 9 p.m. in Newmarket and Aurora, both the Liberals and Conservatives are hosting gatherings to watch the results come in.
Incumbent Dawn Gallagher Murphy’s campaign is gathering at Wicked Eats tonight, with the Conservatives an expected frontrunner both provincially and at the local level based on the latest polling.
But Newmarket-Aurora Liberals have not given up and are gathering at TJ’s Bar and Grill in Newmarket in what is being referred to as a “victory party” ahead of time.
The Conservatives have won the Newmarket-Aurora riding in the past two provincial elections by sizeable margins, by 5,602 votes over the Liberals in 2022 and by 12,408 votes over the second-place NDP in 2018. But Ballard won the riding back in 2014 by 3,197 votes.
Other candidates in the riding include NDP Denis Heng, Green David Jakubiec, Ontario Moderate Party Yuri Duboisky and New Blue Shirin Khasbakhi. While the NDP came in third in the riding in 2022, the local campaign said it is not having a local gathering for supporters on election night.
The Green Party, which came in fourth in this riding the past few elections, said its candidate Jakubiec was not available for media appearances in this campaign.
The snap election campaign has carried on throughout February and came with some difficult timing for incumbent Gallagher Murphy. Former constituency manager Teena Bogner made a labour board filing in December accusing Gallagher Murphy of workplace bullying and an unjust firing, with a hearing initially scheduled for February but settled beforehand. On the same day as the election call Jan. 28, news broke about a group of anonymous former employees also alleging workplace bullying by Gallagher Murphy.
Gallagher Murphy has also taken fire from other candidates for not attending either of the two all-candidates events, something that also occurred during her campaign in 2022.
— Joseph Quigley
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