Niagara Centre (Ontario) 200/338

 Niagara Centre (Ontario)

Today we have our 200th riding with Niagara Centre!

Niagara Centre has existed as a riding for all but nine years since Confederation. The population of the riding was 119,809 in 2021. The riding contains the cities of Welland (55,750 in 2021), Thorold (23,816 in 2021), and Port Colborne (20,033 in 2021). It also contains the southern part of St. Catharines.

Politically, this seat has good news for the Liberals, NDP, and the Conservatives. For the Liberals, they've held it for all but eleven years since 1935. For the NDP, they have a solid base here that fluctuates, but manifested in a 2008/2011 win. For the Conservatives, they've gotten very close in recent years, including finishing just 300 votes behind the NDP in 2008. This seat is currently represented by Liberal MP Vance Badawey.

With the Ontario provincial election behind us, there was a good expectation that the provincial NDP would lose the three seats that they hold in the Niagara Region. Despite the NDP losing ground across the province, their incumbents held on, with Jennie Stevens increasing her vote share in St. Catharines. That isn't to say they were easy wins, Niagara Centre was won by just 854 votes. In 2019, this seat was 12/121 in Ontario and 40/338 in Canada by margin.

The name is good, I don't mind it, I do think that with the rate of growth in Thorold that naming it Welland-Thorold in the future would be appropriate. The shape is okay, not exactly the cleanest, but it does follow the municipal lines. As for individuality, this riding is cool in the sense that it's definitely in a transition period.

Tomorrow we're in Niagara Falls!