30 key ridings to watch on election night

After a gruelling 78-day election campaign, more than 66,000 polling stations will open across the country with Elections Canada bracing for a heavy voter turnout.

All of the polls will be open for 12 hours, but with staggered hours in different time zones to ensure the majority of the results roll in around the same time.

• LIVE RESULTS | Personalize your election night on our results dashboard
• Share any issues you're having at the polls with the hashtag #PollWatch on Twitter
• As usual, election fortunes come down to Greater Toronto Area
• British Columbia's 3-way race could decide election
• Liberals and NDP poised for gains in Atlantic Canada

Polls in the Newfoundland, Atlantic and Central (minus Saskatchewan) time zones are open from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. local time, while the Eastern time zone polls are open from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. local time.

The Mountain time zone and Saskatchewan polls are open from 7:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. local time and the Pacific time zone are open from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. local time, according to Elections Canada.

You can follow the results as they come in via our customizable live online results page, which includes results, discussion, the election night live blog and live streams of our television coverage and each of the parties' headquarters.

From the east coast to the west, here are 30 hotly contested ridings to keep an eye on throughout Monday night.

Nova Scotia

Central Nova: The Liberals and New Democrats are looking to win this long time Conservative stronghold after former cabinet minister Peter MacKay opted not to run for re-election. Fred DeLorey, former Conservative Director of Communications, is running against Liberal Sean Fraser and former NDP MLA Ross Landry.​

Prince Edward Island

Egmont: Gail Shea is looking to keep the Conservatives' only seat on Prince Edward Island from the NDP's Herb Dickieson (who is a former provincial leader) and the Liberals' Bobby Morrissey (a former provincial cabinet minister).

Quebec

Beauport–Côte-de-Beaupré–Île d'Orléans–Charlevoix: The NDP's Jonathan Tremblay will have to hold off a challenge from former Conservative MP Sylvia Boucher as well as the Bloc, which finished a close second here in 2011.

Berthier–Maskinongé: Ruth Ellen Brosseau famously won this riding in 2011 without setting a foot in it or cancelling her Las Vegas vacation. Will residents re-elect the hardworking MP?

Brome–Missisquoi: Pierre Jacob is not running for re-election for the NDP, giving former MP Denis Paradis an opportunity for a Liberal gain against the NDP's Catherine Lusson.

Gaspésie–Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine: With the new electoral boundaries, this was a close four-way contest in 2011. The NDP will be looking to hold off the Bloc's Nicolas Roussy and the Liberals' Diane Lebouthillier here.

LaSalle–Émard–Verdun: Former Prime Minister Paul Martin's old riding is setting up to be a close race between the New Democratic incumbent Hélène LeBlanc and the Liberal challenger David Lametti.

Montmagny–L'Islet–Kamouraska–Rivière-du-Loup: Conservative MP Bernard Généreux lost this riding by the skin of his teeth in 2011, and is looking to regain it from the NDP's François Lapointe.

Mount Royal: A rare riding on the island of Montreal in which the Conservatives have an outside chance of a breakthrough. Former Equality Party leader Robert Libman faces off against the Liberals' Anthony Housefather, mayor of Côte-St-Luc.

Sherbrooke: Elected in 2011 at the age of 19, the NDP's Pierre-Luc Dusseault looks to become Canada's youngest two-term MP.

Ontario

Ajax: A Conservative and Liberal battle between the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Chris Alexander and former Liberal MP Mark Holland.

Brampton Centre: Liberals are looking to defeat Conservative MP Bal Gosal in this tight contest in a fast-growing part of the country.

Etobicoke Centre: A rematch between Conservative MP Ted Opitz and former Liberal MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj in a riding decided by a handful of votes in 2011.

Kitchener Centre: A three-way race between the Liberals, the New Democrats, and incumbent Conservative MP Stephen Woodworth.

Markham–Stouffville: Conservative MP Paul Calandra, spokesman for the Prime Minister in the House of Commons, faces stiff competition from the Liberals.

Ottawa West–Nepean: The Liberals looking to pick up former Conservative cabinet minister John Baird's old riding.

Scarborough North: A riding the NDP won in 2011 that was a sign of their breakthrough into new parts of Ontario. Rathika Sitsabaiesan is looking for re-election in this redrawn riding.

Sudbury: Former NDP MP Glenn Thibeault resigned his seat to run successfully for the Ontario Liberals in a controversial by-election. The federal NDP will look to hold the seat.

Thunder Bay–Superior North: Green MP Bruce Hyer was elected under the NDP banner in this riding in 2011, and will have a tough fight to prevent it from going back to his old party.

University–Rosedale: A hotly contested fight between Liberal MP Chrystia Freeland and the NDP's Jennifer Hollett.

Vaughan–Woodbridge: A potentially close race for Conservative cabinet minister and former Toronto police chief Julian Fantino.

Manitoba

Saint Boniface–Saint Vital: Former cabinet minister Shelly Glover is not running for re-election, opening up this riding with a significant francophone population to city councillor and Liberal candidate Dan Vandal. Erin Selby, a provincial cabinet minister, is running for the NDP.

Saskatchewan

Regina–Lewvan: With the dramatic redrawing of the electoral boundaries in Saskatchewan, Regina–Lewvan is a riding that the NDP would have picked up in 2011. Former provincial NDP leadership candidate Erin Weir takes a run at the riding.

Alberta

Calgary Centre: After falling just short of winning this riding in a 2012 by-election, the Liberals are running former provincial MLA Kent Hehr against Conservative incumbent Joan Crockatt.

Edmonton Centre: With the retirement of former Conservative MP Laurie Hawn, Edmonton Centre is an open seat that all three major parties are looking to win.

Edmonton Griesbach: If the provincial NDP's victory is going to translate into any seats for the federal party, Edmonton Griesbach is at the top of the list.

British Columbia

Burnaby North–Seymour: Pipeline politics are front and centre in this riding, where all three major parties have a hope of winning.

Surrey–Newton: A Liberal-NDP battle between NDP incumbent Jinny Sims and former Liberal incumbent Sukh Dhaliwal.

Vancouver Granville: A new riding that the Conservatives would have won in 2011, but both the Liberals and NDP are aiming to win this time in a close contest.

Victoria: The Greens are looking to win this riding with former CBC radio host Jo-Ann Roberts, after coming up short in a 2012 by-election. The provincial Greens won a seat within these boundaries in 2013.