Oak Ridges—Markham is a provincial electoral district

Electoral district (Canada)

An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...

 in Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, that has been represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario

Legislative Assembly of Ontario

The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...

 since the 2007 provincial election

Ontario general election, 2007

The Ontario general election of 2007 was held on October 10, 2007 to elect members of the 39th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada. The Liberals under Dalton McGuinty won the election with a majority government, winning 71 out of a possible 107 seats with 42.2% of the popular...

. Its population in 2006 was 169,645, with 136,755 electors, the highest of any riding in Ontario. It is the fastest growing riding in the province, having experienced a 52.5% increase in population from 2001 to 2006.

The district covers part of the suburbs north of Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

. It includes the town of Whitchurch–Stouffville, most of the township of King

King, Ontario

King is a township in York Region north of Toronto, within the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada.The rolling hills of the Oak Ridges Moraine are the most prominent visible geographical feature of King. The Holland Marsh, considered to be Ontario's "vegetable basket", straddles King Township...

 (excepting extreme northeast) the northern portions of the town of Richmond Hill

Richmond Hill, Ontario

Richmond Hill is a town located in Southern Ontario, Canada in the central portion of York Region, Ontario. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area, being located about halfway between Toronto and Lake Simcoe...

 (including all of Oak Ridges

Oak Ridges, Ontario

Oak Ridges is an unincorporated community in Ontario, Canada, and has been part of Richmond Hill's administrative area since its annexation in 1971. Although physically separate and distinct from Richmond Hill, it forms the northern portion of the municipality's boundary. Located about 16.5 km...

), and the northern and eastern portions of the town of Markham

Markham, Ontario

Markham is a town in the Regional Municipality of York, located within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. The population was 261,573 at the 2006 Canadian census...

.

The electoral district was created in 2004 52.5% from Oak Ridges, 30% from Markham, 13% from Vaughan—King—Aurora district and 4.5% from York North riding.

Demographics

Communities in Oak Ridges—Markham are the destination for many immigrants to Canada

Immigration to Canada

Immigration to Canada is the process by which people migrate to Canada to reside permanently in the country. The majority of these individuals become Canadian citizens. After 1947, domestic immigration law and policy went through major changes, most notably with the Immigration Act, 1976, and the...

, composing about 41.6% of the population, or about 70,000 of its residents. For 72,440 residents, neither English nor French, the official languages of Canada, is their mother tongue, though most have knowledge of English (148,975), French (160), or both (12,885). Most immigrants become citizens, as 11,155 immigrants were not Canadian citizens as of the Canada 2006 Census

Canada 2006 Census

The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...

.

The primarily urban district has a low proportion of Aboriginal residents

Aboriginal peoples in Canada

Aboriginal peoples in Canada comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The descriptors "Indian" and "Eskimo" have fallen into disuse in Canada and are commonly considered pejorative....

 compared to other parts of Canada, with just 625 people identifying themselves of such descent. It is also home to 70,070 residents who identify themselves as visible minorities

Visible minority

A visible minority is a person who is visibly not one of the majority race in a given population.The term is used as a demographic category by Statistics Canada in connection with that country's Employment Equity policies. The qualifier "visible" is important in the Canadian context where...

, more than half of which are Chinese Canadian

Chinese Canadian

Chinese Canadians are Canadians of Chinese descent. They constitute the second-largest visible minority group in Canada, after South Asian Canadians...

s and about 20% are Black Canadians.

At the 2006 census, the participation rate of residents in the work force was 71.3%, and the electoral district unemployment rate was 5%, below the national average of 6.3%.

The district is the second-largest electoral district in Ontario by population, next to Brampton West

Brampton West (provincial electoral district)

Brampton West is a provincial electoral district in central Ontario, Canada. It was created for the 2007 provincial election. 72.8% of the district was created from Brampton West—Mississauga while 27.2% was carved from Brampton Centre....

 which had 170,422 residents at the 2006 census.

Geography

The riding consists of part of the Regional Municipality of York including:

1. the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville;
2. the part of the Township of King to the south of Highway No. 9;
3. the part of the Town of Richmond Hill to the north and east of Gamble Road, Yonge Street, and Elgin Mills Road East; and
4. the part of the Town of Markham to the north and east of 16th Avenue, McCowan Road, Highway No. 7, and 9th Line.

Towns represented

• Ballantrae
  Ballantrae, Ontario
  Ballantrae, Ontario is a hamlet in the Town of Whitchurch–Stouffville. Named for the village of Ballantrae in South Ayrshire, Scotland, the community is centred around the intersection of Aurora Road and Highway 48...
  
  
• King City
  King City, Ontario
  King City is an affluent, unincorporated village in King Township, Ontario, Canada, located just north of Toronto. It is the largest community in King Township, with 1,629 dwellings and a population of 4,902.-History:...
  
  
• Gormley
  Gormley, Ontario
  Gormley is a hamlet in York Region, Ontario, Canada that overlaps parts of Richmond Hill, and Whitchurch–Stouffville, two municipalities within the Greater Toronto Area. It was divided into two parts due to the construction of Highway 404. A portion of Gormley situated within Richmond Hill's...
  
  
• Kettleby
• King City
  King City, Ontario
  King City is an affluent, unincorporated village in King Township, Ontario, Canada, located just north of Toronto. It is the largest community in King Township, with 1,629 dwellings and a population of 4,902.-History:...
  
  
• Lake Wilcox
• Lloydtown
  Lloydtown, Ontario
  Lloydtown is a hamlet located in King Township, Ontario, Canada. It is often associated with the surrounding and larger Schomberg, though it has its own unique characteristics and heritage.-History:...
  
  
• Markham
  Markham, Ontario
  Markham is a town in the Regional Municipality of York, located within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. The population was 261,573 at the 2006 Canadian census...
  
  
• Nobleton
  Nobleton, Ontario
  Nobleton is an unincorporated village in southwestern King, Ontario, Canada. It is the third-largest community in the township, after King City and Schomberg. Located south of the Oak Ridges Moraine, Nobleton is surrounded by hills and forests...
  
  
• Oak Ridges
  Oak Ridges, Ontario
  Oak Ridges is an unincorporated community in Ontario, Canada, and has been part of Richmond Hill's administrative area since its annexation in 1971. Although physically separate and distinct from Richmond Hill, it forms the northern portion of the municipality's boundary. Located about 16.5 km...
  
  
• Pottageville
  Pottageville, Ontario
  -External links:* from the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority...
  
  
• Schomberg
  Schomberg, Ontario
  Schomberg is an unincorporated village in northwestern King, Ontario, Canada. Situated north of the Oak Ridges Moraine and south of the Holland River, the village is surrounded by natural attractions....
  
  
• Snowball
  Snowball, Ontario
  Snowball is a Canadian hamlet in the township of King, Ontario, at the crossroads of Wellington Street W. and Dufferin Street. It is located north of Eversley. Snowball is part of electoral Ward 1 in King.-History:...
  
  
• Temperanceville
  Temperanceville, Ontario
  Temperanceville is a hamlet in the Regional Municipality of York in Ontario, Canada, straddling two geopolitical jurisdictions, King and Richmond Hill. It is located at the southeastern edge of King and northwestern part of Richmond Hill, east of King City and adjacent to the western part of Oak...
  
  
• Whitchurch–Stouffville

Members of Provincial Parliament

Parliament	Years	Member		Party
39th 39th Legislative Assembly of Ontario The 39th Legislative Assembly of Ontario is the current legislature of the government of the Province of Ontario, Canada. It officially opened November 29, 2007, at Queen's Park in Toronto. The membership was set by the 2007 Ontario general election on October 10, 2007.It is controlled by a...	2007–2011		Helena Jaczek Helena Jaczek Helena Jaczek, is a Canadian politician. She was originally elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 2007 provincial election and was re- elected in the 2011 provincial election representing the riding of Oak Ridges—Markham. She is a member of the Liberal Party.-Background:Jaczek was...	Liberal Ontario Liberal Party The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...
40th	2011–present

Election results

Note: the 2011 election will be held on October 6, 2011.

2007 electoral reform referendum

Ontario electoral reform referendum, 2007 Ontario electoral reform referendum, 2007 An Ontario electoral reform referendum was held on October 10, 2007, in an attempt to establish a mixed member proportional representation system for elections to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario...
Side		Votes	%
	First Past the Post	35,444	61.7
	Mixed member proportional	21,975	38.3
	Total valid votes	57,419	100.0

Sources

• Elections Ontario Past Election Results