Niagara Falls riding profile
The Niagara Falls riding encompasses the City of Niagara Falls, Town of Fort Erie and Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake.
The riding area is 680 square kilometres, and has a population of 136,290, based on 2016 census data.
During the 2014 provincial election, there were 100,698 registered voters — 51,563 turned out to vote, representing a 51.2 per cent voter turnout.
Here are your candidates in Thursday’s provincial election
Dean Demizio, Liberal Party Karen Fraser, Green Party Wayne Gates, New Democratic Party
Chuck McShane, Progressive Conservative Party
Shaun Somers, Libertarian Party
Goran Zubic, Ontario Moderate Party
Candidate profiles (alphabetical order, by surname) DEAN DEMIZIO, LIBERAL PARTY
Age: 54
Occupation: Insurance and financial adviser
Family: Wife Peggy, daughter Chloe, son Gabriel
Previous political experience: Ran in Fort Erie mayoral race in 2014, sought federal Liberal nomination in 2015. Community
work: Director at Community Living Fort Erie and Fort Erie Multicultural Centre; parent council chair at Lakeshore Catholic School; past president of Greater Fort Erie Chamber of Commerce and Fort Erie Soccer Club; and past vice chair and campaign chair of United Way of Fort Erie.
Top issue: Fairness for all. Making sure that everyone in Niagara has better access to health services, transit and greater economic opportunity.
Why are you running: I have always believed it is important to get involved and to work to make our community a better place to live and prosper. I want to serve as Niagara’s voice and representative at Queen’s Park to ensure that our riding gets the programs, infrastructure and support needed to enhance the lives of everyone in Niagara. Why should voters choose you: I have a proven track record of success as a business person and community leader.
Contact info: Campaign office, 289-296-4866, email: votedeandemizio@gmail.com, website: deandemizio.ca.
KAREN FRASER, GREEN PARTY
Age: 65
Occupation: Retired
Family: I am one of nine children, I am a single (divorced) mother of five children, plus five grandchildren. Previous political experience: I
have been a member of the Green party since 2005 and chair of the Green Party Niagara Falls riding continually since then. I have been a Green Party paper candidate twice and campaign manager four times.
Community work: Community work started early for me. I was Miss Easter Seal in 1959 with events including presenting our queen with flowers. I have been on many city, regional and provincial committees — the longest was the Niagara Falls arts and culture committee, 18 years, chair for 10 consecutive years.
Top Issue: Basic income guarantee, which rolls over to affordable housing.
Why are you running: Once I attended a speech where we were asked, “Where would you draw the line? What are you willing to die for?” In this time, people are willing to give up the democracy our ancestors fought and died for. It means too much to me to turn my back and walk away from.
Why should voters choose you: The Green party is different. We will never be told how to vote. I want to be the voice of the people of the Niagara Falls riding. I have had to fight for so much, now let me fight for you.
Contact: 905-357 2932, karen.fraser7@gmail.com, Facebook Karen Fraser.
WAYNE GATES, NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY
Age: 66
Occupation: MPP, former autoworker and president of Unifor 199
Family: Wife Rita; three daughters, Chantal, Tara-Lynn and Jacqueline; five grandchildren, Priscilla, Parker, Charlotte, Tanner and Tatum.
Previous political experience: Former Niagara Falls city councillor. Community
work: Served as the campaign chair for the United Way; member the Yellow Shirt Brigade to save Fort Erie hospital; member of the city’s recreation committee; Project SHARE volunteer; and member of the Ontario Health Coalition.
Top issue: Health care — ending hallway medicine, reducing wait times and ensuring hospitals have proper staffing levels.
Why are you running: Everything I do is for my grandkids and their future — I believe they can inherit a better community than the one we have now.
Why should voters choose you: I have been fighting for this community for four decades. As your MPP we’ve been able to work across party lines and with everyone to accomplish things they said would never be done — securing the GO train; saving the Fort Erie race track from closure; pushing the hospital forward; and bringing funding into our arts and culture community. I would like to continue that work.
Contact info: 4030 Montrose Rd. Unit 2; 905-356-9303; email wayne.gates@ontariondp.ca; Facebook: /waynegatesniagara; Twitter: @Wayne_Gates; Instagram: NDPWayneGates; website: waynegates.ontariondp.ca.
C. CHARLES (CHUCK) MCSHANE, PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE PARTY
Age: 54 Occupation: Division manager, St. Catharines Building Supplies Family: Married with two daughters and two granddaughters. Previous political experience: Longtime volunteer in the Niagara Falls Provincial Progressive Conservative Riding Association, including past president.
Community work: CEO of the Steve Ludzik Foundation for Parkinson’s Rehab; past volunteer firefighter in Niagara on the Lake; three-time president of the Niagara Home Builders Association, toured the province advocating for apprenticeship ratios that would allow more youth in skilled trades.
Top issue: Making sure that seniors and the less privileged are treated as well as other members of society (example: no raise when the minimum wage was increased).
Why should voters choose you: Honesty, integrity and a reputation for getting the job done.
Contact Information: 905-3531877, email: info@chuckmcshane.ca; website: chuckmcshane.ca; Facebook: ChuckMcshaneforMPP; Twitter: @mcshane_chuck.
SHAUN SOMERS, LIBERTARIAN PARTY
Age: 40
Occupation: Child and youth worker at a youth detention centre Family: Wife Nicole, sons Lucas (16) and William (9). Previous political experience: None.
Community work: Co-ordinator of a summer camp for children and youth, treasurer of my local church.
Top issue: The economy, including Ontario’s record level of debt.
Why are you running: All the big parties are the same and I couldn’t vote for any of them. I decided to stop complaining and try to make a change.
Why should voters choose you: The Ontario Libertarian Party is the only party not planning to take Ontario deeper into debt, and we’re the only party looking to give you more control over your own life.
Contact info: email: somers.shaun@gmail.com; facebook: ShaunTheLibertarian; twitter: @shaunsomers.
GORAN ZUBIC, ONTARIO MODERATE PARTY
Age: 55
Occupation: Master degree from University of Forest in Belgrade, businessperson
Family: Wife Zeljka Stankovic-Zubic, daughter Anya Zubic, son Jovan Zubic.
Previous political experience: Since 2007 a permanent member of the Working Party on regulatory co-operation and standardization policies in the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe — Geneva; also NGO leader with clear vision and statement of mission and goals incorporated with corresponding strategies plans.
Community work: In co-operation with the United Church of Canada and St. George — Serbian Orthodox Church in Niagara Falls, during the Yugoslavian war I was bringing a few thousand refugees to Canada.
Top issue: Ontario jobless rate remains stuck and above the national average; Ontario’s fiscal hole is the deepest one in Canada; the global economy has not been kind to Ontario.
Why are you running: Our government gives us too many broken promises; our economy is failing; Ontario’s debt is growing every day rather than reducing. We have a vision and a solution. Our program will bring serious changes and major shift in employment, plus reduction of debt.
Why should voters choose you: We are very focused on youth and our youth development program is realistic and feasible; enforcement and implementation of the same will bring better life, stability and prosperity, and will reduce the number of unemployed and will start to reduce the debt.
Contact info: website: zubic.ca, email: goran@zubic.ca.
Results from the last provincial election, June 12, 2014
Wayne Gates, NDP: 24,131 (47.39 per cent)
Bart Maves, PC: 16,702 (32.80 per cent)
Lionel Tupman, Liberal: 7,329 (14.39 per cent)
Ralph Panucci, Libertarian: 559 (1.10 per cent)
John Ringo Beam, None of the Above: 478 (0.94 per cent)