Premier sets May 2 as date for byelections
Votes follow cabinet ministers’ surprise resignations
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I am thrilled to have this experienced young leader on our team. ONTARIO LIBERAL LEADER BONNIE CROMBIE ON MILTON CANDIDATE GALEN NAIDOO
Premier Doug Ford has called May 2 provincial byelections in Milton and the London-area riding of Lambton-Kent-Middlesex to fill vacancies left by two departed cabinet ministers.
The spring votes — an early electoral test for how Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy’s March 26 budget is being received — were sparked by the resignations of Monte McNaughton and Parm Gill.
McNaughton, who had represented Lambton-Kent-Middlesex since 2011, surprised the premier when he stepped down as labour minister on Sept. 22.
Frequently mentioned as a potential Progressive Conservative leader after Ford eventually retires, he is now executive vice-president of industry relations at Woodbine Entertainment.
Gill’s exit also blindsided the premier.
A former MP in prime minister Stephen Harper’s caucus, Ford’s red tape reduction minister quit on Jan. 25 to return to federal politics.
He will run under Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s umbrella even though a federal election is not expected until at least October 2025.
In Milton, Ford anointed former three-term councillor Zee Hamid, a one-time Liberal, to run for the Tories.
“We are so lucky to have Zee running for us in Milton. He was a councillor, he’s well-respected,” the premier told reporters Wednesday in Vaughan.
“When I went door-knocking (with him recently), every single person knew him,” he said.
Galen Naidoo Harris, manager of community affairs for Liberal MP Adam van Koeverden, will be the Grit candidate.
He is the son of former Liberal education minister Indira NaidooHarris, who represented Milton from 2014 until 2018.
“Galen always puts his community first, and has built a career on helping Milton families. I am thrilled to have this experienced young leader on our team,” said Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie, who herself had briefly considered running in Milton.
The New Democrats are fielding Edie Strachan, a regional vice-president for the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, while the Greens have chosen community activist Kyle Hutton.
One issue expected to dominate the Milton campaign is the proposed reopening of the Campbellville quarry, which is opposed by many local residents and the local council. A community group called ACTION Milton said Wednesday that the May 2 vote could hinge on the quarry, which it said could impact drinking water for 20,000 people in the area.
In Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, Chatham-Kent Coun. Steve Pinsonneault will try to hold the seat for Ford’s Tories.
Lucan Biddulph Mayor Cathy Burghardt-Jesson is the Liberal candidate.
The New Democrats are fielding community activist Kathryn Shailer.
Andraena Tilgner, a registered respiratory therapist, is the Green candidate.