Tory toehold will give region a voice at Queen’s Park
Essex County elected one government member Thursday as Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives won a majority government. Chatham-Kent-Leamington was the only one of four local ridings to elect a Conservative. Incumbent Rick Nicholls won easily with more than half the vote.
“I took absolutely nothing for granted,” he said, saying he felt that “if ever we have a good chance at forming government, this was the election.” Nicholls, who becomes this region’s only government member, cited the turmoil the Conservatives went through with the unexpected resignation of former leader Patrick Brown and rushed election of Ford.
“It’s a different campaign totally, but we’re very excited,” he said.
Windsor and the rest of the county will go from three thirdparty MPPs to three Opposition MPPs. All three NDP incumbents were re-elected, and their party, formerly the third party, will form the official Opposition.
Some believed Ford’s brand of populism would attract voters to this region, which has lost high-paying manufacturing jobs. While Windsor’s unique populism remained on the left, Conservatives made significant inroads, more than doubling their vote in Essex and moving to second from third in Windsor West and Windsor-Tecumseh. “I’m happy that we have Rick Nicholls in Leamington,” said Mayor Drew Dilkens.
“Much like we did when (former Conservative MP) Jeff Watson was in Essex, we were still able to talk to him and work with him and get our message to the government.
“We’ll certainly set up a meeting with Rick and make sure we can continue to do that at the provincial level.”
He also credited NDP incumbents Percy Hatfield in WindsorTecumseh and Lisa Gretzky in Windsor West for bringing the city’s issues to government ministers.
Ford has supported the New Windsor hospital, which will also serve Chatham-Kent, and finishing widening Highway 3.
“We all agree and appreciate his support, and we’ll all have to work together,” said Dave Cooke, co-chair of the hospital steering committee.
Because the party made inroads, “Premier Ford and the Conservatives are going to look at Windsor and say we can’t ignore that area because they are potential wins (in the next election),” said the former Windsor Riverside MPP.
All three NDP incumbents were favoured to win. Hatfield, a retired journalist, and Taras Natyshak in Essex, former training director for the Laborers’ International Union of North America, are well liked and won over 60 per cent of the vote last time. Hatfield won 58 per cent of the vote this time. Natyshak won 48 per cent. Last time, some of his support came from Comber and Stoney Point, which are no longer part of the riding. Gretzky, a former school trustee, defeated a Liberal cabinet minister last time. She won 52 per cent of the vote this time.
“You can’t be disappointed when you become a member of the official opposition,” said Hatfield. “Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition. I mean, it has a nice ring to it.”
Said Gretzky, “We’re going to hold the PC government’s feet to the fire and hold them accountable.”
Leader Andrea Horwath campaigned extensively across Southwestern Ontario, which became a battleground between the NDP and Conservatives and a microcosm of the election. She promised to open 89 unused beds at Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, finish widening Highway 3, include Windsor in the environmental assessment for high-speed rail and review horse racing. The NDP jumped more than 10 points in the polls over the 29-day campaign and tied the Conservatives. Windsor and Essex County faced the possibility of three government members and at least one cabinet minister. But while Horwath tried to present a positive alternative, much of her support seemed to be because she wasn’t Wynne or Ford. She was dogged by memories of the Bob Rae government and some questionable candidates. Her momentum stalled in the last days.
Some believed initially that the Conservatives could win Essex in a blue wave. The party had more than 45 per cent support provincially. The federal riding of Essex was Conservative for 11 years until 2015. And rural ridings tend to vote Conservative. Candidate Chris Lewis is a former Kingsville councillor, and his family owns a successful local business.
Ford came to the area twice and the party also promised late in the campaign to return slot machines to racetracks.
But their big lead evaporated, rebounding to a slight, threepoint lead at the end, though they led in regions with more seats. Lewis finished second with 42 per cent of the vote. Windsor-West Conservative candidate Adam Ibrahim, an adviser to former party leader Patrick Brown, had been campaigning for months before the writ dropped. He won 28 per cent of the vote.
“I couldn’t be prouder,” he said, Windsor-Tecumseh Conservative candidate Mohammad Latif faced questions about where he lives. He has worked in the Toronto area since 2001. He first ran for the nomination in Mississauga-Erin Mills, then withdrew and ran here. He still finished with 27 per cent of the vote. The Liberals ran three solid candidates. Rino Bortolin in Windsor-West, a high-profile councillor, was considered by some a credible threat. Remy Boulbol in WindsorTecumseh was passionate and articulate in the main debate. She ran for city council in the last municipal election and has been active in the community. Kate Festeryga in Essex wasn’t nominated until a week after the election began. She worked for two Liberal cabinet ministers at Queen’s Park before dissolution. But all three candidates ran for the governing party, and 80 per cent of people wanted change. All three finished a distant third.