IT MAY BE FRIGID, BUT ELECTION RACE HEATING UP WITH POSSIBLE LOCAL UPSET
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com
PARRY SOUND-MUSKOKA — With nine days to go — and advance polls open just this Thursday, Friday and Saturday — Greens are giddy, Conservatives are running scared and the NDP, Liberals and two other party candidates are playing catch-up.
A random survey today in south Muskoka shows Green Matt Richter may upset PC Graydon Smith two years after losing to him by just over 2,000 votes.
“I’m fed up. Graydon’s a good person and was a good mayor, but it stops there,” said one previous Tory supporter when asked how she’s going to vote. “Green!”
“I voted Conservative for years. Traffic is bad, but a tunnel is worse. I voted for Matt last time and will again,” said another.
And from a former Liberal supporter turned Green: “I can’t imagine anyone voting for Doug Ford if he’s got sympathies for Trump. Surely that’s not the Canadian cultural values we support.”
See related MuskokaTODAY.com story here for more “Anonymous comments from voters.”
This as the Liberals’ David Innes, slow to the party, is trying to make up ground fast with word that he “and his extended family have been spending summers in Muskoka for the past 30 years and have owned properties here.”
The provincial Liberal Party technical team member, say his staff, are working on aggressive campaign timetable to get their message out.
New Democrat Jim Ronholm hasn’t shown himself.
Neither party has had the same candidate in more than one election in nearly decades.
Where were you Monday night?
This as the four top party leaders squared off again last night in a more revealing, rivalling and raucous “debate” — notably between Ford and Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie.
If Trump was watching (and why wouldn’t he, he watches everything else on TV), Ford wouldn’t have scared the U.S. commander in chief bit. Rather it seemed the reverse by the performance of the pasty-looking premier.
So after last night who would tick off Mr. T on tariffs?
Crombie came off the most “feisty,” even she admitted to reporters afterwards, acknowledging getting appropriately red-faced at times as she poked the premier.
On offence she put him on defence and forcing her to “proudly” defend her taxing Mississauga mayoral record.
New Democrat Marit Stiles won the night sensibly holding Ford to his own fire.
Among a dozen or so pressing issues, health care clearly was a winner for 2.5 million voters without a doctor looking for answers.
None of which they received with clarity beyond a promise of “within four years” from all the leaders.
Mike Schreiner came off the best with answers on housing and the environment, his favourite subjects.
Alas he has about as much chance of becoming Ontario’s first minister as snow banks have of being gone by summer.
As the most experienced debater on the stage after 15 years as Green leader, Schreiner did make a case for having both his deputy leaders sitting beside him at Queen’s Park.
Something he’s been counting on for the weeks of this campaign with more visits here this winter Ford.
The premier claimed he’d only been to his Port Sydney cottage “twice” last summer “to cut his grass.”
Schreiner and Richter could cut his grass Feb. 27.
Smith passes on all-candidates meeting
An all-candidates meeting tomorrow night in South River is a rare chance to hear at least two candidates face off.
The Retired Teachers of Ontario (unit 6-1) is the Feb. 19 meeting from 6 to 9 p.m. at the South River Arena in South River. All registered candidates were invited.
But PC Graydon Smith is taking a pass.
His campaign manager said he’s canvassing that day.
“This is the second time he has not attended with no good reason after he was given plenty of notice and several dates to choose from,” organizer Stephen Todoroff told MuskokaTODAY.com “Very disappointing.”
Smith was offered the chance to send a statement. By yesterday he hadn’t replied.
The same when two questions to be asked at the debate were sent to him.
The two questions being asked to open the meeting are:
-
How do you define housing; and how will you alleviate the local “crisis?”
-
With 20,000 riding residents with a doctor, how will you help them get a primary physician, especially in east Parry Sound?
“My feeling is if there are no responses then it is at best inconsiderate and at worst disrespectful and ignorant. How can someone who purports to “fight” for the riding feel like he can ignore a segment of it? Typical insincerity.”
The Ontario Party’s Helen Kroeker said she, too, couldn’t make. But Brandon Nicksy of the New Blue didn’t respond to an invite.
EMAIL: [email protected]
30 years of TRUSTED ‘Local Online Journalism’
SINCE MAY 20, 1994
Twitter: @muskokatoday, Facebook: mclairmont1
SUBSCRIBE for $30 by e-transferring to [email protected]
Mail cheque to MuskokaTODAY.com Box 34 Gravenhurst, Ont. P1P 1T5
And include your email address to get stories sent to your inbox
