As polls came in and results pointed toward a PC majority province-wide, the former Liberal stronghold of Toronto-St. Paul’s turned NDP orange by a thin margin.

New Democrat Jill Andrew edged out Liberal Jess Spindler 18,843 votes to 17,495. PC candidate Andrew Kirsch was third, with 13,780 votes.

The riding of Toronto- St. Paul’s had remained been since it was formed from parts of five other ridings in 1996. Former Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant held the riding from 1999 until 2009, when the mantle was taken up by Dr. Eric Hoskins.

Hoskins left his position earlier this year to take on a leadership role in the formation of a national pharmacare plan, leaving the riding without an incumbent leading up to an election that promised to see the provincial balance of power shift massively.

Toronto St. Paul’s has long been seen as a safe Liberal seat, with the party taking home upwards of 58 per cent of the vote in each of the past two elections.

This year’s, Spindler, is a lawyer and human rights advocate who has been outspoken on women’s health issues, consumer advocacy and more. She has some prior experience in government work, having worked as an advisor for both the Liberal Party of Canada and the Ministry of the Attorney General.

Kirsch worked in finance before joining the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) in 2005, where he worked in both Ottawa and Toronto, most recently as a team lead in the Special Operations Security Unity. He also helped found the Office of the Provincial Security Advisor, working to counter cyber-threats.

Andrew is co-founder of Body Confidence Canada, fighting against size and appearance-based discrimination. She is also community co-owner of the GLAAD Day Bookstore and a volunteer with organizations that support racialized minorities, women, the LGBTQ community and other marginalized groups.

The riding has a population of approximately 107,900 and is bound roughly by the CP rail tracks to the south, Eglinton Avenue West to the north, Winona Drive and Dufferin Street to the west and Mount Pleasant Road to the east.

For up-to-the-minute results, visit the Star’s Ontario election page