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Winnipeg Free Press
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Dresden locals, First Nations take landfill fight to Queen's Park
TORONTO – Local residents and a First Nation brought their fight against a large landfill to Queen's Park, where they accused the premier of trampling over the community's concerns to fast-track a project backed by his donors. The chair of a local advocacy group says the community feels betrayed by the decision to cancel an environmental assessment for the landfill just north of Dresden, a small rural farming community in southwestern Ontario. Stefan Premdas, the head of the group, questioned how the project got singled out in a controversial omnibus bill introduced by Premier Doug Ford's government. The Liberals have asked the integrity commissioner to look into whether the government gave the project preferential treatment because it's backed by lucrative Progressive Conservative donors. Ford says he doesn't know the developer and didn't look at who owned the project. He says Ontario sends about 40 per cent of its waste to the United States and President Donald Trump could turn it away if trade disputes were to escalate. 'It takes one phone call from President Trump to say cut us off, and then what do we do? We have to be prepared. It's an existing site, we need to expand it,' Ford told reporters on Tuesday. York1, the company behind the project, is seeking to revive a small dormant landfill and expand it to service waste from across the province. Municipal officials have suggested the company is relying on outdated approvals, granted decades ago, to try to bypass a full environmental assessment of a project that would turn an area less than a kilometre north of Dresden into one of Ontario's busiest waste sites. The company did not respond to a request for comment. Details of the developers' donations and lobbying efforts were first reported by The Trillium, a Queen's Park-based news outlet, and were cited by the Liberals in their letter to the integrity commissioner. The Trillium reported that executives at the companies and their family members had donated about $200,000 to the PCs since 2018. The Canadian Press has corroborated some of those political contributions recorded in a public Elections Ontario database. Under the developer's proposal, a small landfill dating back to the 1960s that holds 40,000 cubic metres could expand to a total of 1.6 million cubic metres, enough to fill almost 650 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Officials have said the company also wants to establish waste processing stations to receive up to 6,000 tonnes of waste per day, even though existing permits for the property dating back to 1998 only allow for a tiny fraction of that amount. Locals fear any leaching from the landfill could be disastrous for the area waterways and endangered species, and balk at the site's proximity to homes and schools. The property is also surrounded by prime agricultural land and the water around the site streams into the Sydenham River, home to some endangered species, including the spiny softshell turtle. An environmental assessment would have had to consider alternative designs or locations for the project. Chief Leela Thomas of Walpole Island First Nation, whose reserve is just downstream of the project, says the government's backtracking not only threatens local biodiversity, but violates 'the spirit and intent' of Ontario's commitment to environmental protections. 'What message is the government sending when it is willing to trade away clean water, community safety, and climate resilience for the convenience of avoiding proper review and consent?' she said. The province initially announced in March 2024 it would pursue an environmental assessment for the project, citing community concerns. Shortly after that, the premier called a byelection in the local riding of Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, where the successful PC candidate Steve Pinsonneault campaigned against the expansion. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Then, in a surprise move, the government proposed to cancel that assessment as part of the omnibus Bill 5 introduced last month. Pinsonneault's office has not responded to a request for comment. NDP Leader Marit Stiles claimed the government never intended to keep its promise to Dresden residents. 'This government will always promise anything and everything during an election, and then they turn around and break their promise,' she said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 13, 2025.
CBC
18-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Official recount results still to come in northern Ontario riding, but Conservatives say the NDP won
Elections Ontario says it has completed its recount in the riding of Mushkegowuk-James Bay. But the agency says it won't be releasing the official results for a few days, in case there is an appeal. However, the campaign team for Progressive Conservative candidate Dave Plourde says the recount confirmed they lost to New Democrat Guy Bourgouin, and don't plan on filing an appeal. After the Feb. 28 vote in the far north riding, Bourgouin— who has held the seat since it was created in 2017— was ahead by eight votes. The riding, which includes the towns of Kapuskasing and Hearst, is the smallest in Ontario with just 18,755 voters, only 42 per cent of whom cast a ballot in this recent provincial election.
CBC
08-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
91-year-old veteran says he was denied right to vote in Ontario's election, despite having proper ID
At 91-years-old, veteran Charles Parent says he's voted in every single Ontario election, even casting a ballot from overseas while serving in Europe. But this winter snap election marked a first for him. Parent says he was denied his right to vote despite bringing proper ID to his polling station in the riding of Bay of Quinte— and his family fears many others were turned away for the same reason. "I've never missed a vote. This is the first one I missed and I was upset," Parent told CBC Toronto. According to Elections Ontario, people can vote as long as they have a voter information card and a one piece of ID showing their name, which Parent did. But Parent's daughter, Susan Hyndman, told CBC Toronto a polling worker said his voter information and health cards weren't enough, suggesting he go home and get another form of ID with his address on it. "He also said that we weren't the first. He said, 'We turned many away for this particular reason,'" Hyndman said. Election Ontario's website says Parent would have needed an ID with an address only if he didn't have his voter information card, which wasn't the case. Assuming the polling worker must have been correct, the rest of his family voted while Parent waited and eventually left. If it had been a warm summer day they would have likely returned, Hyndman said, but bad weather already made it a challenge for them to leave the house with Parent, who uses a walker. "By the time we got home, we weren't going back out again," she said. But for Parent, there was also a layer of frustration. "I didn't feel like coming back, put it that way," he said. "People…should be trained properly" Nikole Hyndman, Parent's granddaughter, immediately tried to fix the situation when she heard about what had happened, but to no avail. She said two Elections Ontario hotlines seemed to be inactive, while a third sent her to voicemail. She has since filed a formal complaint with Elections Ontario. In an email sent to Nikole seen by CBC Toronto, Elections Ontario said their "feedback will be reviewed" and they "understand that participating in the electoral process should be straightforward, accessible, and positive for all voters." When CBC Toronto asked Elections Ontario about Parent's experience at the polls and how many similar complaints their office received, they said they were unable to comment on individual cases or disclose information related to specific voters. Voter turnout just 1.4% away from all-time low The PCs won Parent's Bay of Quinte riding with Tyler Allsopp capturing 20,999 votes (44.4 per cent of the vote) to defeat Liberal David O'Neil, who was second with 14,883 votes. The NDP's Amanda Robertson finished third, with 8,745 votes. You can find all of the election results on our interactive page here. Nikole said it's upsetting that such a vulnerable member of the population was turned away from the polls. That's especially the case, she says, "considering the problems we've had in this province and in this country with voter turnout, to then see somebody…making the effort to go to the polls and to be turned away due to a lack of clear, accessible information." Last month's provincial election had a voter turnout of 45.4 per cent, a slight rise from 2022's 44 per cent — the lowest voter turnout in Ontario's history. Parent managed to vote in past elections even while serving in England and Spain during his three decades in the Canadian Armed Forces. While in the air force, he says he got to fly major figures including Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, as well as Pierre Elliot Trudeau. "Papa taught us that democracy is important," Nikole said. "I feel like that's a part of the value system that I was raised on." More than a week after the election, Parent and his family still remain puzzled about why he was turned away from voting in his own home riding. "I voted all over, all over the world [in] different elections," Parent said. "I always managed to vote because the system was well organized."
CBC
04-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
A northeastern Ontario riding could be headed for a vote recount, following close provincial election results
A northeastern Ontario electoral riding could be headed for a vote recount, following last week's provincial election. When polls closed on Feb. 27 in Mushkegowuk-James Bay, NDP MPP incumbent Guy Bourgouin had a four-vote lead over Progressive Conservative candidate Dave Plourde. Elections Ontario said it is still tabulating official results from the election. Once tabulations are complete, official results will give the total number of marked, declined, unmarked, and rejected ballots for each poll. Under the Election Act, once votes are officially tabulated, if there is a margin of victory of less than 25 votes, as is currently the case in Mushkegowuk-James Bay, the returning officer for the district will be required to apply for a recount. Plourde, who is also the mayor of Kapuskasing, is calling for a recount and said he's hopeful the outcome will go in his favour. "We're just anxiously awaiting and we're hopeful that, you know, we're able to see positive results. And I'm optimistic," said Plourde. "I think there's definitely an opportunity here that we could see a change in the results as they were received on election night." He said the riding has been held by the NDP for many years, but he believes the close results at the polls shows that people in the far northern Ontario riding want to see change and that it shows promise for the Conservatives going forward. Elections Ontario said it will await the completion of the official tabulation process before determining next steps, including whether to issue a recount. If a recount were to go ahead, it could be a few weeks before an official result is known. Bourgouin, who has been the MPP for Mushkegowuk-James Bay since 2017, has said he is not commenting on the results until they are official.
CBC
28-02-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Voter turnout was up in Waterloo region and surrounding areas this Ontario election
An unusual winter election didn't stop voters in Waterloo region and surrounding areas from turning out for Thursday night's Ontario election. A total of 372,225 ballots were cast in local ridings for the 2025 election, that's around 50,000 more than 2022, where 323,927 voters turned out. Voter turnout was a lingering concern given the winter weather, with some regions of the province under weather advisories throughout election day. However, Elections Ontario lists the province-wide voter turnout at 45.4 per cent. That's up slightly from 2022's 44 per cent, the lowest-ever turnout in Ontario's history. In Waterloo region and other ridings in CBC K-W's listening area, 49.7 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot. See voter turnout for each local riding in the chart below Simon Kiss is an associate professor in political science at Wilfrid Laurier University. He said he was surprised by the robust turnout, given the weather. "I think that actually speaks to a degree of discontent," he said. He said that as much as the Progressive Conservative party and media outlets wanted to make this election about U.S. tariffs, "voters were actually much more concerned about health care and housing." Issues with which Kiss said the PC government has a bad track record. But he said he thinks voters struggled with choosing an alternative. "The NDP did very well in its established ridings and the Liberals spread their vote too thin," said Kiss. Election results Thursday night's Ontario election saw incumbent parties holding their seats in every local riding. In Cambridge, PC Brian Riddell defended his seat with 43.7 per cent of the vote, beating Liberal Rob Deutschmann by 4,074 votes. Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner ran away with the Guelph seat, winning for a third time, garnering 56.9 per cent of the vote and beating PC Robert Coole by 19,852 votes. After first winning her seat in a December 2023 by-election, Green Aislinn Clancy won again, beating PC Rob Elliot by 11,209 votes and receiving 51.4 per cent of the vote. In Kitchener-Conestoga, PC Mike Harris Jr. was victorious for a third term in a row, getting 41.5 per cent of the vote and topping Liberal Joe Gowing by 4,915 votes. Kitchener South-Hespeler PC Jess Dixon kept her job in the riding with the lowest voter turnout percentage, topping Liberal Ismail Mohamed by 7,533 votes and receiving 45.4 per cent of the vote. Perth-Wellington re-elected PC Matthew Rae in the riding with the highest per cent of eligible voters turning out. He collected 47 per cent of the vote and beat Liberal Ashley Fox by 8,205 votes. As the region's longest serving MPP, NDP's Catherine Fife defended her seat for a fifth time, winning 50.2 per cent of the vote and besting PC Peter Turkington by 11,385 votes. In Wellington-Halton Hills where 35-year PC MPP and former speaker Ted Arnott stepped down, his PC replacement Joseph Racinsky was elected. He garnered 45.2 per cent of the vote and beat Liberal Alex Hilson by 9,555 votes.
