Keep positive election turnout trend going

With two days before Ontario’s provincial election, there’s lots at stake for Niagara voters.

On Saturday, with polls showing her party in the basement with little chance for electoral victory Thursday, Liberal Leader Kathleen Wynne conceded defeat.

While Wynne may have conceded, her candidates in Niagara have not, particularly St. Catharines incumbent Jim Bradley who faces a test from PC candidate Sandie Bellows and NDP candidate Jennie Stevens.

The St. Catharines riding is one of four election races which will help determine who runs this province for the next four (or less) years, an outcome which will affect the way this region progresses into a very uncertain future.

There are some very good candidates contesting those four ridings, and it’s up to you, the voters, to go seek them out, learn their positions and determine who will best represent you at Queen’s Park. The Green party has strong candidates, and there are numerous representatives from other parties.

The two main challengers facing Bradley come from opposite ends of the political spectrum, but have also served the residents of St. Catharines as city councillors. Bradley himself has served this city well for some 40 years. If he wins, he will become the longest continuously-serving MPP in Ontario’s history.

In Niagara Centre, a riding which has been held by the New Democrats for over 40 years by three different representatives — Mel Swart, Peter Kormos and Cindy Forster — Jeff Burch is seeking to maintain the NDP’s stranglehold against a strong Conservative candidate in April Jeffs, the mayor of Wainfleet.

Burch is no political neophyte, having served two terms on St. Catharines city council, campaigned for mayor and worked as a community advocate and CEO for the Niagara Folk Arts Multicultural Centre. Jeffs has been a strong voice for Wainfleet at regional council and has impeccable Tory credentials. Also running is Liberal Benoit Mercier, an earnest candidate who has represented his party well in prior elections.

In Niagara Falls, New Democrat Wayne Gates has been faced with sometimes feisty campaigns by Conservative Chuck McShane and Liberal Dean Demizio. Gates has been a hard-working and outspoken representative for the Falls, and should the NDP win power, would be a likely candidate for a position within an Andrea Horwath cabinet.

McShane, a well-known local businessperson, as well as a longtime supporter and worker for the PC party, has not shied away from confronting his opponents, particularly the incumbent Gates, on issues. Demizio has enjoyed a well-run campaign, but seems likely to trail his main opponents.

In Niagara West, a largely rural, Conservative-leaning riding which has garnered widespread attention due to the youthful nature of its candidates, PC incumbent Sam Oosterhoff seems likely to win. The elder statesman among his opponents is Liberal Joe Kanee, 28, while Oosterhoff himself is 20 and New Democrat Curtis Fric, a classmate of Oosterhoff’s at university, is also 20.

This race has been one of seemingly mutual respect, where the candidates have differed on policy, but have avoided tiresome personal attacks.

In our style of democracy, choosing who to vote for comes down to voters balancing their opinions of local representatives against the party and leaders.

We encourage Niagara residents to get out and vote, and improve the turnout trend exhibited in 2014, when 52.1 per cent of the electorate cast ballots, a 3.9 per cent improvement over 2011. That increase in turnout bucked a 24-year trend of declining participation, and whatever the outcome Thursday, we hope to see Niagarans turn out en masse to choose their next government.