Northwestern Ontario ridings to watch in the 2025 provincial election
Social Sharing
After Ontario Premier Doug Ford called a snap winter election in January, voters in the province will head to the polls on February 27, 2025.
CBC Thunder Bay will be providing updates on the four main ridings to watch here in northwestern Ontario to help voters sort through the platforms and promises of this 2025 campaign.
Thunder Bay—Atikokan
Eric Arner: Green Party of Ontario
Kevin Holland (Incumbent): Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
Stephen Margarit: Ontario Liberal Party
Judith Monteith-Farrell: Ontario New Democratic Party
Thunder Bay—Superior North
Rick Dumas: Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
Brian Hamilton: Ontario Liberal Party
John Northey: Green Party of Ontario
Lise Vaugeois (Incumbent): Ontario New Democratic Party
Kenora—Rainy River
Anthony Leek: Ontario Liberal Party
John Redins: Green Party of Ontario
Greg Rickford (Incumbent): Progressive Conservatives
Rudy Turtle: Ontario New Democratic Party
Kiiwetinoong
Sol Mamakwa (Incumbent): Ontario New Democratic Party
Waylon Scott: Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
Carolyn Spicer: Green Party of Ontario
The Liberals have not announced a candidate in Kiiwetinoong as of Feb. 11, 2025.
CBC Thunder Bay wants to hear from you this election
As northwestern Ontarians head to the polls, we want to hear what's important to you in this election and what you want to hear about from the candidates.
Fill out our 2025 provincial election survey below to tell us what matters to you:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Vancouver Sun
an hour ago
- Vancouver Sun
Sir John A. Macdonald statue outside Ontario legislature freed after being in a box for five years
TORONTO — The Sir John A. Macdonald statue outside the Ontario legislature is back in full view after spending the past five years in a box. The statue of Canada's first prime minister has been under hoarding since 2020, when it was vandalized with pink paint. The monument was one of many that were targeted across the country amid anti-racism protests and as Canadians grappled with the history of residential schools. Macdonald is considered an architect of the country's notorious residential school system, which took Indigenous children from their families in an effort to assimilate them. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Progressive Conservative and Liberal members of a non-partisan board of the legislative assembly agreed earlier this month on a motion to remove the hoarding after the statue is cleaned. Speaker Donna Skelly says she recognizes the sensitivities surrounding Macdonald and welcomes Ontarians to come and share their views peacefully. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Toronto Star
2 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Statue of Sir John A. Macdonald outside Queen's Park uncovered after five years
After five years behind protective hoarding, the 1894 statue of Sir John A. Macdonald on the front lawn of the Ontario legislature is now uncovered. Workers have put a protective coating on the bronze figure, which gazes south down University Avenue, along with a plaque hinting at Macdonald's controversial role in creating residential schools, where thousands of Indigenous children died after being taken from their families. The statue had been boxed in after repeated acts of vandalism. 'I recognize the sensitivities surrounding the history of Canada's first prime minister and I welcome all Ontarians to express their views — peacefully,' Donna Skelly, Speaker of the legislature, said in a statement Wednesday. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Workers unveil the statue. Rob Ferguson 'Violence and acts of vandalism will not be tolerated, and the Legislative Protective Service will actively monitor the statue and grounds.' Officers kept a close eye on the statue as it was uncovered Wednesday and throughout the day. A plaque in front of the statue says in part 'though we cannot change the history we inherited, we can shape the history we wish to leave behind' and notes officials at the legislature, including a committee of MPPs, are considering how Indigenous history can be better represented in the building and on its grounds. When the decision to remove the hoarding was made by the legislature's all-party board of internal economy last month, Indigenous New Democrat MPP Sol Mamakwa (Kiiwetinoong) — who survived residential schools — made it clear he was hurt by the move and warned the statue remains a target. 'It might come down, it might get spray-painted. I don't know. But let them learn,' he told reporters. 'We are still trying to find our kids, our ancestors, in these residential schools,' he added, referring to ground radar searches for graves in former school locations across Canada. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW There has been criticism that the plaque now in place does not say more about the controversy over Macdonald. Many suggestions have been made about how to deal with the statue, such as moving it into a museum where its context can be better explored or a building a monument to residential schools nearby. Tiny shoes that had been placed in front of the boarded-up statue in tribute to residential schoolchildren have been 'carefully and respectfully removed' and stored. Some left there years ago had already been moved into the legislature and included in an exhibit of Indigenous art called the Gathering Place. Residential schools were opened in 1883 under Macdonald's government, and the last one closed in 1996. About 150,000 Indigenous children were removed from their homes and forced into a system likened to apartheid and genocide. In its 2015 report, Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission initially counted 3,201 deaths at the schools. The search for unmarked graves at former school sites is expected to continue for years. Politics Headlines Newsletter Get the latest news and unmatched insights in your inbox every evening Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up Yes, I'd also like to receive customized content suggestions and promotional messages from the Star. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Politics Headlines Newsletter You're signed up! You'll start getting Politics Headlines in your inbox soon. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
First Nations opposition continues after passing of Ontario's Bill 5
Many First Nations people in Ontario are continuing protests following the passing of Bill 5 in Ontario last week. Bill 5, the Protecting Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, allows the province to create special economic zones, where companies or projects can be exempted from having to comply with a provincial law, provincial regulation or municipal bylaw. Shem Mattinas, from Moose Cree First Nation on James Bay, was one of the organizers of a protest in Timmins, Ont., last Friday. "This will affect all of us; it threatens our land, our water, and our democratic rights," he said. "This isn't only a First Nations issue; it's an Ontario issue." The premier has said one of those special economic zones will be the mineral-rich Ring of Fire region on Treaty 9 territory in northwestern Ontario. "Attawapiskat River is right in the middle of the Ring of Fire. The First Nations along that river will be deeply affected by poisons and chemicals if this kind of development goes forward unchecked," Mattinas said. Mattinas said it was important for him to organize a protest because he's always heard "when youth speak, that's when people listen." The province has said the law is aimed at speeding up major infrastructure and resource projects. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Friday he intends to designate the Ring of Fire as a special economic zone "as quickly as possible." He added he and several ministers will consult all summer with First Nations about the new law before making the designation. People also continue to rally at the provincial legislature at Queen's Park in Toronto. Myka Burning from Six Nations of the Grand River said she will be one of the people maintaining a presence there. She said those gathered are calling on Indigenous nations across the country to support them, not just Ontario, because of the law's widespread environmental implications but also because she believes it sets a precedent. "I feel like there has been consistent voicing of opposition as it's been coming down like the pipes and that's just not being respected," she said. Concern for caribou Bill 5 also scraps Ontario's Endangered Species Act and replaces it with a new law called the Species Conservation Act, which critics say waters down protections. Jennifer Franks, the director of Indigenous Relations at the Toronto Zoo, said there was "resounding disappointment" around the passing of Bill 5 with the zoo's Indigenous advisory circle. Franks, who is Red River Métis from Birch Hills, Sask., said the zoo's mission is to "connect people, animals, traditional knowledge and conservation science to fight extinction," like the zoo's caribou biobanking project in the Hudson Bay region, where they help collect samples from hunted caribou for genetic preservation. Caribou are traditionally hunted by the Cree and Anishinaabe who live in the Ring of Fire area. In Ontario, caribou is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Habitat loss and human activities are among the threats to the province's caribou. Toronto Zoo CEO Dolf Dejong, who spoke out against the bill at a committee hearing at Queens Park in May, said he wasn't surprised the bill passed despite opposition and said he's concerned special economic zones could be designated anywhere, effectively undoing decades of work in conservation. "They've been very clear that they intended to move quickly," he said.
