Ontario Premier Doug Ford attends a media availability at the TTC Davisville subway yard in Toronto on Feb. 18, 2026. The Canadian Press/Chris Young
Premier Doug Ford called byelections in three southern Ontario ridings today that will see voters heading to the polls on Sept. 3.
Writs were issued Aug. 5 for byelections in the ridings of Scarborough Southwest, York-Simcoe, and Hamilton East-Stoney Creek, according to a press release from the Office of the Premier.
Scarborough Southwest has been without representation since February, when New Democrat MPP Doly Begum stepped down to successfully run for the federal Liberals in the same riding.
A seat was also left vacant in York-Simcoe after the June resignation of Caroline Mulroney, who served in cabinet as president of the Treasury Board.
Minister of Sport Neil Lumsden announced in July that he would retire from politics and officially resigned his seat on Aug. 4, triggering a byelection in Hamilton East-Stoney Creek.
The resignations of Mulroney and Lumsden, as well as Stan Cho, who stepped down last month as tourism minister amid an expense scandal, leaves Ford with three cabinet positions to fill. Cho remains in the Progressive Conservative caucus and continues to serve as MPP.
Scarborough Southwest
The Ontario NDP has successfully secured the Scarborough Southwest seat in the last three provincial elections with Begum as the party’s candidate.
The riding became a focal point of controversy in the aftermath of her resignation, when former MP Nate Erskine-Smith lost the Ontario Liberal nomination in the riding to businessman Ahsanul Hafiz. Erskine-Smith made allegations of impropriety during the race, which the party deemed to be unfounded.
The PCs have selected Dr. Noor Tarun to represent them as a candidate for the riding. The family physician operates various clinics in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), according to a press release from the party.
Housing and education advocate Fatima Shaban is the NDP candidate for the riding. She works in the non-profit sector, auditing estates.
Hamilton East-Stoney Creek
Four parties have announced their candidates for the byelection in Hamilton East-Stoney Creek, a riding that sits inside the City of Hamilton.
City councillor and small business owner Jeff Beattie is looking to replace Lumsden for the Ontario PCs.
He will face off against Ward 4 constituency assistant Pascale Marchand for the Green Party and Liberal Heino Doessing, who works in finance. Both candidates ran against Lumsden in the last election.
He will also run against former NDP MPP Monique Taylor. She served the Hamilton Mountain riding from 2011 until 2025, when she chose not to run for re-election. Instead, she decided to pursue a federal position but was defeated by incumbent Liberal MP Lisa Hepfner.
The riding has voted for the PC candidate in the past two elections but voted for the NDP in the four elections before that.
York-Simcoe
Mulroney, the daughter of former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, announced in May that she would resign as MPP for York–Simcoe.
Mulroney’s former party announced East Gwillimbury town councillor and small business owner Susan Lahey will run for the seat she vacated.
Regional Councillor for Georgina and a small business owner Naomi Davison is running for the Liberals, while education worker Bobby Nikmard is the NDP candidate. Matt Pearce, a professional in vehicle manufacturing, is representing the Greens.
