Ontario election 2014: Seat changes highlight election night surprises

The Ontario Liberals were able to continue their nearly 11-year reign in Ontario, securing a majority — their first in two-and-a-half years — by converting some key ridings from the PCs and NDP.

The election yielded a few flips, particularly in the vote-rich Toronto area. The Liberals were able to swipe seats in the downtown, including ending a decade-long NDP run in Trinity-Spadina and snatching back Davenport, which the Liberals lost in the 2011 provincial election.

In the 905-belt, the Liberals won in Halton, severing a long PC run in that riding.

Here's a look at seat switches and riding redemption.

Barrie

Barrie changed hands from the Progressive Conservatives to Liberals with teacher Ann Hoggarth unseating Tory incumbent Rod Jackson. Hoggarth won the seat with roughly 41 per cent of the vote.

Burlington 

Burlington, a longtime Tory fortress, is no longer blue, with Liberal Eleanor McMahon defeating Tory incumbent Jane McKenna. McMahon won the seat with 43 per cent of the vote.

Cambridge

The third time was a charm for Kathryn McGarry in Cambridge, a traditional PC stronghold, as she unseated PC incumbent Rob Leone.

Davenport

Liberal Cristina Martins regained the west-end Toronto seat they lost in 2011. Martins unseated NDP incumbent Jonah Schein with about 45 per cent of the vote.

Etobicoke-Lakeshore

Etobicoke-Lakeshore pitted two former Toronto city councillors against one another in a rematch of 2013's byelection. This time, Liberal Peter Milczyn returned the riding to Liberal rule by defeating PC incumbent Doug Holyday by a wide margin.

Halton

Liberal Indira Naidoo-Harris, a former CBC News journalist, unseated PC incumbent Ted Chudleigh, who held the seat for just over a decade. Naidoo-Harris seized the seat with about 45 per cent of the vote.

Newmarket-Aurora 

Liberal Chris Ballard ended 10 years of PC rule in this riding north of Toronto.

Oshawa

By tradition, Oshawa is a two-way race between the Tories and NDP, however, this election the riding went orange, with Jennifer French unseating longtime PC MPP Jerry Ouellette.

Thornhill

Thornhill, a Tory byelection win just four months ago, is now Liberal red with Sandra Yeung Racco, the runner-up in February, unseating PC incumbent Gila Martow by a thin margin.

Trinity-Spadina 

In one of most anticipated races, Liberal Han Dong unseated longtime NDP incumbent Rosario Marchese. The downtown Toronto riding is also the site of a federal byelection at the end of the month, following the departure of Olivia Chow to enter the mayoral race.

Windsor West

Windsor West, the last Liberal seat south of London, now belongs to the NDP after Lisa Gretzky defeated Liberal cabinet minister Teresa Piruzza.