The lay of the land in Kitchener
And Oppo pokes holes in Science Centre biz case
Presented by Ontario’s Universities
ABOVE THE FOLD
AG REPORT INCOMING II — No official word yet, but another major hint on the date for the Auditor General’s annual report: More sources have come out to tell me that they expect the big book of government fails to drop Wednesday, December 6.
KITCHENER GOES TO THE POLLS — It’s Byelection Day. Here are the stakes for each party.
Quick recap: Regular readers will know the lay of the landscape in Kitchener Centre by now, but in case you missed it, catch up on my one-on-ones with the NDP’s DEBBIE CHAPMAN, the Greens’ AISLINN CLANCY and the Grits’ KELLY STEISS. The ever-elusive PC ROB ELLIOTT has been playing hard to get — but I’m not taking it personally, since he’s also skipped out on debates and all-candidates events, presumably to avoid answering for the Ford government’s land-swap saga.
For the NDP: It’s theirs to lose — and a litmus test for new-ish leader MARIT STILES. The seat was put into play after their former benchmate LAURA MAE LINDO resigned, and she did not go quietly. Stiles, meanwhile, is still smarting from SARAH JAMA’s ouster in Hamilton Centre, which caused a rift in the ranks (but they’re healing). At the time, the local riding association called for Stiles’s head, but Chapman told me she doesn’t think it’s playing much of a factor with voters. Either way, the NDP will not want to lose another seat.
For the Greens: They’ve been gunning hard, and giving the NDP a run for its money. Clancy was the first candidate out of the gate and did a second lap of door-knocking. Like Chapman, she’s a councillor with a high profile in the riding and is hoping to mirror MIKE MORRICE and MIKE SCHREINER’s historic wins. Morrice, who represents the riding federally, is Ontario’s first Green MP, while Schreiner, who reps in nearby Guelph, is the first MPP.
Get on my lawn: A little birdie on the ground tells me the Greens’ signage appears to outnumber the NDP’s by at least 2-to-1, with the Liberals in a distant third. From what they can tell, PC lawn signs are “virtually non-existent.”
For the PCs: It seems they’re not putting up much of a fight. Sources tell me that unlike the summer byelection in Scarborough (won by the Grits), the PCs aren’t sending many volunteers or MPPs to help door-knock. As we first scooped, the party had trouble securing a candidate, eventually landing on Elliott, an out-of-towner, late-in-the-game contender. This byelection won’t change the makeup of the Legislature — the PCs still enjoy a 79-seat majority — but if they place fourth, as some Tories fear, it would send a clear message that voters aren’t happy with the embattled Ford government.
For the Liberals: Don’t count them out just yet. It’s awkward timing for the third-place unrecognized party, which has been diverting resources — including volunteers and get-out-the-vote efforts — to Saturday’s leadership contest, voting for which took place last weekend. Still, before 2018’s change election, the riding was a Liberal bastion, and it’s not Steiss’s first rodeo. She carried the party banner in 2022 and ran for Waterloo mayor in 2018. At the very least, Steiss is hoping to increase her vote share.