THE MYSTERIOUS MR. OOSTERHOFF
Other than controversy, not much is known about the 19-year-old who became Ontario’s youngest-ever MPP
Having just made history as the youngest person ever elected to Ontario’s legislature, Sam Oosterhoff craned his neck to look beyond the pool of photographers and scribes assembled to witness his swearingin and called to his parents. “Mom? Dad?” The Oosterhoffs weaved through the crowd, stood with their son, and posed for more photos. Thus Oosterhoff, at just 19, became the province’s newest MPP — a first-year political science student with a social conservative bent that has already made a splash at Queen’s Park.
His ascent from his family farm in the Niagara Escarpment to the back bench of the Progressive Conservatives is not without controversy. To get there, he shunted aside PC party president Rick Dykstra to claim the party nomination in Niagara West-Glanbrook — former leader Tim Hudak’s turf since the riding was created in 2007 — and then won a Nov. 17 byelection with a commanding 54 per cent of the vote.
Many have credited the victory to his hearty ground game in the riding and the appeal to the region’s many social conservatives with his denunciation of the Liberal government’s updated sex-education curriculum.
But little is known of Oosterhoff beyond the skeleton details of his biography: a home-schooled kid from a large religious family, who spent time in Ottawa as a legislative assistant on the Hill before getting elected during his first semester at Brock University.
Much has been made of his antiabortion stance and opposition to same-sex marriage and the Liberals’ sex education update, which contradict PC leader Patrick Brown’s views on those issues. During his first scrum with reporters at Queen’s Park this week, Oosterhoff was grilled on his opposition to a bill that gave legal recognition to same-sex parents, as well as an article he posted on Facebook that denounced homosexuality as a “sin.” (He said that he’s “absolutely not” a homophobe.)
Meanwhile, Brown was criticized by some social conservatives, such as anti-sex-ed campaigner and party member Queenie Yu, for “muzzling” Oosterhoff during the campaign because he wants to attract centrist voters. There were also complaints from the media that the teenage politician was not available for interviews and dodged questions at events.
“He’s constantly surrounded in fog,” said Grant Lafleche, a columnist with the Niagara Falls Review who has written about politics in the region for almost 20 years. “The only time we’ve ever been able to speak with him is if we catch him at an event. He’s never given us a clear answer on where he stands on these social issues.”
Oosterhoff did not respond to interview requests for this article. His father, Carl, also declined to speak, and his brother, Aaron — an activist who has protested sex-ed changes with a church-affiliated group in the Niagara region — did not respond to emails asking for an interview.
What we do know about Oosterhoff is that he grew up near Vineland, a picturesque town in the Niagara wine country that’s dotted with charming homes, rolling farmland, orchards and vineyards. A big part of his life, clearly, is his religion. The family is part of the Spring Creek Canadian Reformed Church, a congregation that assembles for mass in a chapel in the hamlet of Tintern. Oosterhoff’s dad is an organist at the church, according to a 2006 news story about the acquisition of a new pipe organ.
In recent years, Oosterhoff worked for a local excavating company and a landscaper. Raymar Landscaping’s Joanne Wanders said he shovelled snow for her company alongside her son. “He always made the work fun,” she said. “He’s very energetic. I can attest to that.”
But outside of that, and his time in Ottawa, much of his life seems to have been spent with his religious friends. Cody Swaving, a 22-year-old studying to become a Reformed Christian pastor, knows Oosterhoff from their time together as counsellors at Campfire!, a Christian summer camp for children and teens near Collingwood.
He also described Oosterhoff as personable and energetic, with a knack for working with kids. Swaving said he remembers that at night sometimes, after lights-out for the campers, Oosterhoff and some of the other counsellors would play games in a nearby meadow.
“Goofy fun stuff — we really enjoyed having him up there,” he said. “He can carry on a conversation like very few people.”
His religious identity, however, has brought criticism from some corners. Press Progress, the media wing of the left-leaning Broadbent Institute, dug up articles he’s posted on social media that denounce homosexuality and criticize Christians who do not disapprove of it.
Oosterhoff also wrote a supportive note on Twitter about the activities of the Association for Reformed Political Action, a group affiliated with his church that has held anti-abortion rallies and argued same-sex marriage sets society on “the slippery slope to polygamy.”
Aiden Johnson, a Hamilton city councillor who believes he’s the first openly-gay politician elected in southwestern Ontario, said Oosterhoff owes LGBTQ families an apology. This week, Oosterhoff called Bill 28 — a law passed Tuesday that legally recognized same-sex couples and people who use reproductive technology as parents — “horrible legislation.”
Oosterhoff told the Star earlier this week that he disagrees with the bill because it could lead to “litigation on the child,” not because he opposes LGBTQ families.
But such discussions don’t resonate some of his constituents. Milos and Rada Mladjan run the Campden General Store, just a short drive from Oosterhoff’s family home. Oosterhoof, who they have known for years, stopped by during the campaign and pledged to push for a better deal.
“We believe in him,” said Rada.