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Hamilton Spectator
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Liberal Aslam Rana wins Hamilton Centre from New Democrats
Liberal Aslam Rana has wrestled Hamilton Centre away from the New Democrats for the first time since the riding was created in 2004. Poll-based forecasts predicted a close race between NDP incumbent Matt Green and the Liberals, even as the Rana was criticized as a 'parachute candidate' because he lives in Mississauga. In the end, Conservative Hayden Lawrence made it a three-way race. During the campaign, Rana told The Spectator he knows the issues in Hamilton Centre and wants to focus on housing affordability, homelessness and improving road infrastructure. Meanwhile, at a Cable 14 debate , Green spoke about making new homes that are affordable. He also criticized the Liberal challenger for not appearing at the televised forum, saying: 'If you want the job, you have to show up for the interview.' The Hamilton Centre race was the city's most crowded, with eight candidates. The Green Party's Sandy Crawley, the People's Party of Canada's David Speicher, the Rhinoceros Party's Cody Chenier and two independents, Carla Green and Michael Loomans, rounded out the list. Longtime New Democrat David Christopherson held the riding for 15 years. He retired in 2019, and Green retained the seat for the party. Hamilton Centre's eastern boundary was extended to Parkdale Avenue for this election, with the riding absorbing some Hamilton East—Stoney Creek voters. Cheyenne Bholla is a reporter at The Hamilton Spectator. cbholla@
Hamilton Spectator
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Dan Muys returned to Ottawa in redrawn Flamborough—Glanbrook—Brant North riding
Rejigged riding boundary, new federal election, different opponents. Same winner. Conservative Dan Muys, a first-time incumbent but active in electoral politics for 30 years, won the sprawling, sparsely populated Flamborough—Glanbrook—Brant North riding in Monday's federal election. The 54-year-old was raised in Copetown, lives in Lynden, and has worked in the agri-food and energy sectors, according to a campaign website. The redrawn riding is largely rural, and the issue of how to help farmers weather the Trump tariff war was among those raised during the Cable 14 live TV debate in Hamilton. Liberal candidate Chuck Phillips called for preserving local farmland in the face of urban growth, increasing processing facilities for farm products, and helping farmers trade their products east and west, given new barriers to U.S. trade. Muys did not weigh in on the issue — he did not attend the debate, citing a previous commitment. His absence drew jabs from Phillips and NDP candidate Peter Werhun, in the otherwise genial discussion. Muys handily won the former Flamborough-Glanbrook riding in the 2021 election. He had previously been chief of staff to former Conservative MP David Sweet. In the last parliament, Muys served on the standing committee on transport, infrastructure and communities. The new Flamborough-Glanbrook-Brant North riding is largely rural, and if signs are any indication, incumbent Conservative candidate Dan Muys has considerable support in the wilds of West Flamborough, where this photo was taken on election day. Muys' signs were the only ones visible driving along Hwy. 8. Rival candidates vying for the riding include Liberal Chuck Phillips and the NDP's Peter Werhun. In 1993, he was 22 and living in Copetown, when he served as a youth delegate for Jean Charest during the Conservative leadership convention in Ottawa that selected Kim Campbell, making her prime minister for 132 days. Seven years later, he was campaign manager for Priscilla de Villiers, one of the provincial PCs running in a byelection in the former Wentworth-Burlington riding. In the wake of the boundary change, Flamborough—Glanbrook—Brant North covers 1,097 square kilometres with just 87,052 eligible voters. By comparison, the adjacent Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas riding is 1,000 square kilometres smaller but has 94,019 electors. Communities north of Brantford and south of Cambridge now part of the riding include Paris, St. George and Glen Morris.
Hamilton Spectator
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
‘If you want the job, show up for the interview': Green slams absent rivals in Hamilton Centre debate
Record-breaking building permits and condo developments are all well and good for a city in a housing crisis — but only if people can afford what's being built. 'This is the problem when people make the argument that housing is simply about supply,' Hamilton Centre NDP candidate Matthew Green, running for a third term, said at an election debate Friday night. 'Housing is not simply about supply — it's about affordability. And no matter how many condos are built in downtown Hamilton, as long as they're out of reach for everyday Hamiltonians, we're going to continue to see record numbers of homelessness.' What did the Conservative and Liberal candidates have to say? Viewers of the Cable 14 debate wouldn't know. The riding forum was a two-person show, with only the Green party's Sandy Crawley and incumbent Green taking part. Conservative Hayden Lawrence declined an invitation to attend — as did other Tory candidates in all but one of Hamilton's five ridings, according to Cable 14. The rookie Tory candidate cited a preference to be campaigning in person. Liberal candidate Aslam Rana — who critics have dubbed a 'parachute' candidate because he lives in Mississauga — initially agreed to take part in the debate before pulling out on the day of event. In an email, he said he was focusing on door-knocking given the riding is 'one of the tightest' in Canada. Although Hamilton Centre has been an NDP stronghold since the riding's creation, poll-based forecasting websites recently suggested the riding could be a toss-up between the party and the resurgent Liberals. National polls suggested a tight national race for popular support between the Liberals and Conservatives with just days to go before the April 28 vote. At the hour-long debate Friday night, Green didn't look the part of an incumbent feeling the heat. 'I believe that if you want the job, you have to show up for the interview,' he said in his opening remarks, later adding, 'the Conservative candidate and Liberal candidate are missing in action.' 'There is no threat of a Conservative win in Hamilton Centre.' Green later suggested the Liberals and Tories are pushing to 'turn our democracy into an Americanized' two-party political system. 'People here know better,' he said. 'They see the value in having a strong, experienced and principled MP rooted in the conscience of the country, of the NDP.' Crawley agreed with Green in that he doesn't think there's 'any threat' of a possible blue Hamilton Centre. Once a member the NDP's local executive branch, Crawley didn't pull punches against his old party, saying the Greens have the country's most courageous, forward-looking and sensible policies. 'I'm sorry to say, I think the NDP has become distracted by the brass ring and the grab for power,' Crawley said. The Hamilton Centre race also includes the People's Party of Canada's David Speicher, Rhinoceros Party's Cody Chenier and two independents, Carla Green and Michael Loomans.
Hamilton Spectator
25-04-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
Hamilton-area Today: Crash chaos on Linc Friday + A little upbeat news for you
G ood morning! It's April 25, here are the top stories today in the Hamilton area. The Linc was closed in both directions for the investigation and cleanup between Upper Gage and April showers promise May flowers. Today you have a 60 per cent chance of showers in the afternoon with the risk of a thunderstorm. Environment Canada says Friday's daytime high is 13 C. The overnight low will only drop to about 10 C, but showers will remain. There are no alerts. It's 11 C at 9 a.m. Sunrise is 6:22 a.m. and sunset Friday at 8:14 p.m. HAMILTON: CLEARED - 403 east and west bound lanes are closed at ramp at Linc, collision. All lanes closed. 7:15 a.m. Expect delays past Fiddlers, on Hwy 6 S, and supporting roads. Cleared: Collision on #HWY403HAMILTON Eastbound RAMP at LINCOLN M. ALEXANDER PARKWAY, Hamilton. All lanes closed. #ONHwys HAMILTON: Update: Westbound lanes are open, eastbound lanes remain closed. Linc closed in both directions for a collision. Westbound lanes closed from Upper Gage and eastbound lanes closed from Upper Wentworth. 6 a.m. 2025-04-25 07:44:35 COLLISION : #Hamilton LINC WEST BOUND RE-OPENED COMPLETELY #HamOnt Find the latest provincial road closures and traffic incidents via Ontario 511 . Closures in Hamilton are available on the Hamilton police incident feed . Traffic on Hamilton area Compass cameras Friday morning. GO UPDATE: Hamilton GO Centre 06:18 - Union Station 07:32 train will run express from Burlington GO to Union Station due to freight train traffic. Customers can board the next train scheduled to depart Burlington GO at 06:56. Taking transit today? Find the latest GO Transit service updates here . The latest information on local bus services are available here: Hamilton , Burlington and Oakville . GUILTY: Verdicts handed down in murder of OPP officer Randall McKenzie and Brandi Stewart-Sperry both found guilty of first-degree murder in Const. Greg Pierzchala's death And now the good news … Here's a tonic for your soul: Award-winning Spectator writer Jon Wells will pen Upbeat, a weekly column that offers exclusively positive news, serving as an antidote to the deluge of negative stories that can darken our days. Most Hamilton Conservative candidates skip televised election debates Ken Hewitt appeared on track to be the lone Conservative candidate participating in Cable 14 debates. Motherlode | Never forget that we're still connected I tell the people around me to focus not on the large, increasingly scary world out there, but to look to their own neighbourhoods and communities. Lights, camera, action in Jackson Square food court The production 'Pocket Mirror' spent two days shooting at Jackson Square. The 18-day shooting schedule wrapped up April 14. Simple foods for complicated times: Try this turkey burger recipe at home Editor's note: Norma Bidwell was The Spectator's beloved food columnist for more than half a century, signing off her popular Stoveline column in 2006 at the age of 91. With rising grocery costs and global turmoil, now seems a perfect time to revive her recipes for simple comfort foods for you to enjoy. What's there to do in Hamilton this weekend? Of course it's going to rain, Sunday is the Paris to Ancaster Bike Race. The weekend will bring rain, but events will go on. Subscribe to our newsletters for the latest local content .
Hamilton Spectator
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Most Hamilton Conservative candidates skip televised election debates
All but one of Hamilton's federal Conservative candidates appear to be skipping televised local election debates . Cable 14 partnered with local news agencies, including The Spectator, to stage candidate debates in each of the five Hamilton-based federal ridings. Ken Hewitt, the Conservative candidate in the Hamilton Mountain riding, was the sole Tory candidate expected to take part. Hamilton East—Stoney Creek's Ned Kuruc, Erika Alexander in Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, Hamilton Centre's Hayden Lawrence and Dan Muys in Flamborough—Glanbrook—Brant North all either declined or did not respond to invitations to the televised debates. Cable 14 general manager Jonathan Freedman said the lack of attendance from candidates is 'disgraceful.' 'The candidates that are running in the ridings should be here debating,' he said, adding the forums give voters a chance to see and make a choice on who the right candidate is for their riding. Cable 14 was forced to cancel the Hamilton East-Stoney Creek debate slated for Wednesday because the only major party candidate who agreed to attend was Liberal incumbent Chad Collins. Freedman said the Tory candidate, Kuruc, declined the invitation to take part, while organizers got 'complete radio silence' from NDP candidate Nayla Mithani. The Green Party did not field a candidate. Kuruc, who did not reply to Spectator requests for comment, was also a no-show at debates hosted by the Stoney Creek Chamber of Commerce and the Bosnian Islamic Centre of Hamilton. In an interview, Collins said he was disappointed by his Tory challenger's decision to skip the Cable 14 debates, which he called a tradition at all three levels of government. 'Debates are important because it gives residents, especially those who are undecided, the opportunity to make an informed decision about how they cast their ballot,' he said. During Monday's Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas debate , Liberal candidate John-Paul Danko questioned whether the missing Tory candidate 'actually exists,' while Green candidate Georgia Beauchemin questioned whether Alexander was a 'paper candidate.' Alexander told The Spectator in a later interview her campaign is 'focusing on voter contact, so we're out 12 hours a day' and added the national Conservative campaign did not tell her to skip the debate. The candidate also said she was unsure whether her campaign received a 'proper' invitation. Cable 14 moderator Mike Fortune said at the start of the debate the candidate did not respond to emails, calls or messages on social media inviting her to attend. In Hamilton Centre, the campaign for Conservative candidate Lawrence declined to participate, telling Cable 14 that 'Hayden would be focusing on door-knocking.' Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas Liberal candidate John-Paul Danko, NDP candidate Roberto Henriquez and Green candidate Georgia Beauchemin squared-off during the televised Cable 14 debate April 21. Conservative candidate Erika Alexander did not take part. Muys, the Flamborough—Glanbrook—Brant North incumbent, said he was attending the Hamilton Jewish Federation's Yom Hashoah Holocaust commemoration Thursday evening when the debate is scheduled — something he 'agreed to a month ago.' Muys also noted he has attended two debates during this campaign — an all-candidates debate in Paris and an all-party forum hosted by the Hamilton Muslim Association. The federal Tory no-shows come after all but one Progressive Conservative candidate — Flamborough-Glanbrook's Donna Skelly — skipped the Cable 14 debates during February's provincial election . McMaster University political scientist Peter Graefe said the absence of a debate is 'a loss' for the community to see candidates defend their ideas, as well as evaluate their personalities and competence. 'If you want the support of the people in a riding, you should show up in places where the people in the riding can assess your talent and quality.' Graefe said while candidates from different parties skip debates for various reasons, there seems to be 'fairly strong evidence' that Conservative candidates are 'almost systematically avoiding' debates. He said one reason could be the party has a sophisticated technology for tracking voters and may feel their time is better spent engaging specific voters likely to vote Conservative, versus a debate. He added the Conservatives may also be particularly concerned about message control. Hamilton East—Stoney Creek Conservative candidate Ned Kuruc took part in the televised Cable 14 debate in the 2021 federal election alongside Green Party candidate Larry Pattison. Kuruc declined to participate in the debate during this campaign — as did NDP candidate Nayla Mithani — leading to its cancellation. 'They don't want the party's message for that day being derailed by what some no-name candidate in some riding they might never hope to win said at some candidates meeting,' he said. —With files from Matthew Van Dongen.
