By Mike Anderson
York-Simcoe will stay Tory blue with incumbent MPP Caroline Mulroney’s decisive win in last week’s provincial election.
According to Elections Ontario, Mulroney captured 20,789 votes or 56.7 per cent of the total vote.
Still, voter turnout was low with only 38.7 per cent of the riding’s 94,232 registered electors voting at the polls, considerably lower than the 54.9 per cent voter turnout in the 2018 election.
Mulroney, who also serves as both the Minister of Transportation and Francophone Affairs in Premier Doug Ford’s cabinet, ran a solid campaign and believes her strong showing signals that the Ontario PCs are on the right track.
“Our party put forward a plan to rebuild Ontario, to invest in critical infrastructure, like the Bradford Bypass, like adding to our healthcare capacity, like additional schools. And I can tell you that that was very well received at the doors,” she told the Post.
“In York-Simcoe, over the past four years, our government has delivered on the priorities that were set for me back in 2018, like saving the North Gwillimbury Forest, investing in long-term care, and protecting Lake Simcoe, with the announcement of a new phosphorous recycling facility.”
“I think that people trust our government will deliver because, over the last four years, that’s what we’ve done.”
The Liberal candidate, Walter Alvarez-Bardales, received 6,319 votes (17.25%), while the NDP candidate, Spencer Yang Ki, despite not canvassing in the riding because of a sudden family illness, received 4,083 votes (11.15%)
The Green Party candidate, Julie Stewart, who also did not canvas but took part in local debates, garnered 2,691 votes (7.35%).
The other candidates, who all received less than five per cent of the vote, included Brent Fellman, New Blue (4.46%), Alana Hollander, Ontario Party (1.91%), Zachary Tisdale, Libertarian (0.72%) and Franco Colavecchia, Ontario Moderate Party (0.42%).
While a lower voter turnout in York-Simcoe was disappointing, the election was also marred by the vandalizing of Liberal signs throughout the riding and at least one incident of verbal harassment against the Liberal candidate, Alvarez-Bardales and his campaign manager.
Mulroney’s decision to skip local all-candidates debates and meet and greets, especially the televised debate in Sutton, also drew criticism from the other candidates.
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