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CBC
25-02-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Ontario Votes 2025: Healthcare a priority among Chatham-Kent-Leamington candidates
Social Sharing The provincial electoral district of Chatham-Kent-Leamington includes the town of Leamington, the city of Chatham, and the large rural areas that comprise much of Kent County below the Thames River. At the time of the 2022 Ontario election, the riding had around 85,400 eligible voters. But only about 39,000 — less than 45 per cent — cast a ballot in the last election. Here's who's running, in alphabetical order: Matthew Davey - Green Party of Ontario After multiple requests by CBC Windsor, the Green Party of Ontario responded that Matthew Davey "is not able to take part in any interviews." The GPO website describes Davey as "an active businessman and family man" who was born and raised in the Waterloo region. Davey's social media indicates he is a realtor who lives and works in Cambridge. According to the GPO website, Davey envisions an economy that is both sustainable and equitable. A quote credited to Davey expresses optimism for a future where "our successes are based on the well-being of both ourselves and our environment." (Incumbent) Trevor Jones - PC Party of Ontario Trevor Jones, the incumbent MPP for Chatham-Kent-Leamington, was unavailable for an interview despite repeated requests by CBC Windsor. A Leamington native and a former OPP officer, Jones won the seat for the PC Party of Ontario in 2022. Prior to that, he was a municipal councillor for the Town of Leamington — appointed to a vacant seat on council in 2020. On social media, Jones said he and Doug Ford will "do whatever it takes to protect Ontario, our farmers, workers, businesses and communities" from U.S. President Donald Trump's administration. Rhonda Jubenville - New Blue Party of Ontario Born in Chatham-Kent, Rhonda Jubenville was elected Ward 4 councillor for that municipality in 2022. She's now entering provincial politics as a representative of the New Blue Party — a party that was formed in 2020 billing themselves as the "true blue conservatives" compared to Doug Ford and the Ontario PC Party. Jubenville told CBC Windsor that her riding is concerned about a crisis of homelessness and mental health, a lack of affordable housing, and a healthcare system "in disarray." She said she would petition the province to "stand up for Chatham-Kent-Leamington," such as establishing a Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) hub in the district. Jubenville added that she believes Ford is handling U.S. threats of a trade war "incorrectly" by being combative with the Trump administration. "I think we need to move the right way forward and perhaps abandon our legacy party system," Jubenville said. Bill Kirby - Ontario Liberal Party Bill Kirby lives and works in Cambridge as a business development manager in industrial sales. This election is his first foray into provincial politics. Kirby told CBC Windsor that while he is not a Chatham-Kent-Leamington resident, he has a branch office in the area. Asked why he's running, Kirby said he believes the Ford government has "completely abandoned the rural ridings. I want to make sure that the residents of Chatham-Kent-Leamington are listened to." He pointed to housing affordability and healthcare as the overarching concerns of the riding's population. According to Kirby, Chatham-Kent-Leamington is among the top 10 areas in Ontario with a deficiency in family doctors. "That is why the Liberals are committed to eliminating that deficit of family doctors within four years," Kirby pledged. Kirby said he knows Chatham-Kent-Leamington residents are also concerned about job security and affordability. "People are looking for the necessities of life." Christian Sachs - Ontario NDP A newcomer to provincial politics, Christian Sachs is the Ontario NDP candidate for Chatham-Kent-Leamington though she lives in the village of Granton, which is technically in the riding of Lambton-Kent-Middlesex. Sachs was elected a trustee of the Thames Valley District School Board in 2022. She and her husband also have a professional wedding photography business. Sachs told CBC Windsor she's seeking the MPP seat because she resonates "very heavily with rural communities and agricultural spaces." According to Sachs, healthcare is the biggest concern for Chatham-Kent-Leamington residents. "Ensuring that our healthcare stays public," she emphasized. She noted that she was born and raised in Alaska. "I do know what privatization looks like. I really truly feel that Canadians should be more appreciative of what they have.," she said. "People need to be able to get access to a doctor, get care for themselves, and be able to afford life." Phillip St-Laurent - Ontario Party The Ontario Party did not respond to CBC Windsor's request to interview Phillip St-Laurent — their candidate for Chatham-Kent-Leamington. The party was founded in 2018 to offer a more conservative alternative to the Ontario PC Party, with "freedom, family, and faith" as its core values. In a social media video, St-Laurent said it's especially important to him to "put an end to the indoctrination in our schools." In the same post, the Ontario Party stated that St-Laurent "wants to protect kids from the insidious ideologies" in the current education system.
CBC
24-02-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Ontario Election 2025: Health care and affordability key issues in the riding of Essex
Ontario Votes 2025: Health care, affordability priorities for candidates in Essex 55 years ago Eight candidates are eager for your votes in the riding of Essex, many of them pointing to healthcare and affordability as key election issues. Here's who's running, in alphabetical order: Brigitte Belton - New Blue Party New Blue Party candidate Brigitte Belton is a truck driver living in Wallaceburg. She describes herself as one of the leaders of the self-described Freedom Convoy in southwestern Ontario. "I am a hard worker. I work 70 hours a week currently, and if I need to work more, I will. I believe in an open door policy. You will always have access to me," she said. Tackling affordability is one her top priorities, as is ensuring everyone has a family doctor. She said her party wants to rehire every doctor and nurse that was let go due to COVID-19 vaccine mandates. "People who work hard, who go to work every day are now suffering. They're having a hard time paying bills," she said, adding that effective leadership is needed to address the issues affecting the province. Stephen Higgins - Green Party of Ontario Green Party of Ontario candidate Stephen Higgins is a lifelong Kingsville resident and entrepreneur, currently running PURE Mobile Wash. "I'm going to be a strong independent voice and the Green Party platform allows their candidates to be that strong independent voice that represents the riding at Queens Park and not the party to the riding," he said. "Politics should be done that way." Addressing healthcare — especially mental healthcare — and education are his biggest priorities. "Investing in education is investing in our own future. We are all going to age and we need to have people that are able to solve the problems that we'll be facing when we're older," he said. Travis Jacques - Ontario Party Travis Jacques is running for the Ontario Party, which describes itself as a party defending freedom, family and faith. CBC was unable to reach him for an interview. (Incumbent) Anthony Leardi - PC Party of Ontario Incumbent Anthony Leardi was first elected as MPP for the PC Party in 2022. He is a lawyer and former deputy mayor of the Town of Amherstburg. His campaign manager told CBC he was unable to participate in an interview. In posts to campaign social media, Leardi notes the party's need for a strong mandate in the fight against tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump, as well as the endorsements the party has received from unions across the province. He has also posted about protecting Ontario's energy sector. Kevin Linfield - None of the Above Direct Democracy Party Holding the banner for the None of the Above Direct Democracy Party is Kevin Linfield, an aerospace engineer who lives in Essex County. He describes himself as a "concerned voter" who does not like how party politics have been playing out across Ontario and the country for some time. Addressing the housing shortage is his top priority. "I am very concerned that my children will not be able to afford a house in Ontario," he said, explaining that he would be advocating for duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes to be built on regular lots, as well as smaller homes. He acknowledges most people won't choose him this election, but said, "Doesn't matter who you're voting for, whether it's Conservatives, Liberals, Greens, NDP or None of the Above, I would want people to get out and vote. Please don't stay home. Vote." Rachael Mills - Ontario NDP Ontario NDP candidate Rachael Mills describes herself as a community activist who has worked in healthcare and customer service. Improving healthcare and affordable housing options are her top priorities. "We need sustainable land use planning to ensure that we're building the homes that we need in the communities that we know and love that have the infrastructure and not continue to threaten and jeopardize our natural environment and our agricultural lands," she said. She says when the election was called, "I knew that I had to get out there and really provide people the opportunity to feel hopeful. We have the solutions. We have a fantastic platform and plan to address all of these concerns." Tamara Stomp - Ontario Liberal Party Ontario Liberal candidate Tamara Stomp is from Kingsville and works as a lawyer in Windsor. She also served on Kingsville's town council for 11 years from 2003 to 2014, including as deputy mayor for the final four years. Her top priorities in this election are housing, education and healthcare, adding that she herself does not have a family doctor. She said the province needs to open up more schools or programs to take in students wanting to become doctors. "I have a lot of knowledge, a lot of experience, and I believe that in the public I have a lot of integrity. I want to tell you the truth. I do not want to sugarcoat it," she said. "Ontarians are facing these tariff issues and all the big problems that have come with Doug Ford's reign of seven years where he has not fixed the home healthcare, the homelessness, not the healthcare and not the education. They're worse than they were before that." William Szabo Verzoc - Independent Independent candidate William Szabo Verzoc describes himself as a disability rights advocate living with Crohn's disease, with a background in medical studies. "I'm running because I believe our party system has ultimately failed us and it's important that we as individuals are able to be nominated and run as independents and speak our minds and contribute to this particular election process," he said. He cites healthcare as his top priority, saying he would like to increase the number of medical school placements in Ontario, and lift some restrictions for Canadians who have studied abroad. "We all have to be healthy in order to live our best lives," he said. "I would say yes, in order to have a thriving society, you have to have a healthy society in order to get people off the streets, right? They have to be healthy, both in body and in mind."
CBC
12-02-2025
- Politics
- CBC
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:
