Leal seeking fifth term
Nomination meeting tonight for Liberal MPP
Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Minister Jeff Leal is seeking a fifth term in the Ontario Legislature.
Leal has been the Liberal MPP for Peterborough riding since 2003 when the Liberals swept into power.
A nomination meeting has been called for Thursday night to nominate Leal as the Liberal candidate for the redrawn Peterborough-Kawartha riding in the June 7 provincial election.
The nomination meeting starts at 7 p.m. at the Peterborough Lions Community Centre at 347 Burnham St., Peterborough-Kawartha Provincial Liberal Association president Bill Bott announced Wednesday afternoon.
Leal, 62, was previously an Otonabee Ward city councillor from 1985 to 2003.
He was named to the cabinet in February 2013 by new Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne.
Several veteran Liberal MPPs, including Deb Matthews, Liz Sandals, Brad Duguid, Dave Levac, Monte Kwinter, Madeleine Meilleur and Glen Murray, have left Queen’s Park this year or are not running for re-election in the June 7 election, but Leal has previously said he had not decided on whether to run again.
Leal will face Dave Smith, who was nominated earlier this year Progressive Conservative candidate for the Peterborough-Kawartha riding.
High school student Zach Hatten and musician Sean Conway are seeking the Peterborough-Kawartha nomination for the NDP, but the party has not set a nomination meeting yet.
The new Peterborough-Kawartha riding, matching the riding used in the 2015 federal election, adds Trent Lakes and North Kawartha townships from the Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock riding, while Asphodel-Norwood and Otonabee-South Monaghan townships will shift to the Northumberland South Peterborough riding, where incumbent Liberal MPP Lou Rinaldi has also been nominated for re-election.