PCs and NDP Keep Seats After Ontario Byelections

The status quo has been maintained at Queen’s Park after Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives successfully held onto two seats and the Opposition New Democrats preserved one in the three Sept. 3 byelections.

Here’s a look at the results in each of the three byelection races.

York-Simcoe — PC Win

East Gwillimbury town councillor and small business owner Susan Lahey won the riding of York-Simcoe for the PCs with nearly 50 percent of the vote, defeating Liberal Naomi Davison who took just under 39 percent.

NDP candidate Bobby Nikmard garnered just 4 percent followed by the Green Party’s Matt Pearce with nearly 3 percent.

The riding north of Toronto has voted blue since its creation in 2007. It was previously held by President of the Treasury Board Caroline Mulroney. Mulroney, the daughter of former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, announced her resignation from Ford’s caucus in May.

Hamilton East-Stoney Creek — PC Win

Veteran Hamilton city councillor and small business owner Jeff Beattie secured victory for the PCs, extending the party’s winning streak to three in the Hamilton East-Stoney Creek riding.

Beattie took nearly 39 percent of the vote to edge out NDP candidate Monique Taylor, who garnered 33 percent. Taylor served as the provincial representative in the neighbouring Hamilton Mountain riding for 14 years until she resigned in an unsuccessful attempt to secure a federal seat.

In third was Liberal candidate Heino Doessing who garnered 23 percent of the vote followed by Green Party Pascale Marchand in a distant fourth, with just shy of 3 percent.

The seat had been vacant for less than one month after Minister of Sport Neil Lumsden stepped down on Aug. 4.

Ford congratulated both Beattie and Lahey in a social media post, and also gave a speech at Beattie’s campaign party in Hamilton.

“I just want the people of Ontario and all of Canada to know that we’re going to continue to fight,” Ford said. “We’re going to fight against Donald Trump. We’re going to make sure that we protect people’s jobs, protect their communities and protect them.”

Scarborough Southwest — NDP Win

Housing and education advocate Fatima Shaban ecured a fourth consecutive victory for the NDP in Scarborough Southwest with more than 40 percent of the vote.

Liberal Ahsanul Hafiz took 30 percent, while the PC’s Dr. Noor Tarun placed third with 23 percent followed by the Green Party’s Mark Bekkering in a distant fourth with 3 percent.

NDP Leader Marit Stiles congratulated Shaban at her victory party after the vote.

“It is more clear than ever before in these three byelections, these historic three byelections, that there is only one party that is going to defeat Doug Ford and the conservatives, and it is the New Democratic Party,” she said.

She described Shaban in a social media post as “one of the hardest-working people I know heading to Queen’s Park to fight for you.”

Scarborough Southwest had been without representation since February, when New Democrat MPP Doly Begum stepped down to successfully run for the federal Liberals in the same riding.

The riding became a focal point of controversy in the aftermath of her resignation, when former MP Nate Erskine-Smith lost the Ontario Liberal nomination in the riding to Hafiz. Erskine-Smith made allegations of impropriety during the race, which the party deemed to be unfounded.

The byelections bring the PC seat count back up to 79 in the 124-seat legislature. The NDP has climbed back to 27 after the byelection while the Liberals remain at 14. The remaining four seats are evenly split by the Green Party and two Independents.

Voter turnout for all three races was around 25 percent, according to the unofficial byelection results from Elections Ontario.