TORONTO — Voters in Kitchener Centre will head to the polls later this month in a provincial byelection.
Premier Doug Ford called the byelection Wednesday for Nov. 30 to replace Laura Mae Lindo, who resigned the seat she held for the NDP in July, citing child-care challenges.
Two of the four major parties' candidates are city councillors and a third works in local government.
Progressive Conservative candidate Rob Elliott, meanwhile, is a former PC party vice-president and regional organizer who does not live in Kitchener. He lives in Keswick, north of Toronto.
"Although my wife and I are currently raising our young family outside of the city, I am personally connected to Kitchener," Elliott wrote in a statement.
"This is where I earned my Bachelor’s degree, at Wilfrid Laurier University. This is where I met my wife, and where we got engaged. This community is personal to me. As MPP, I will be accessible and present at my local office and at community events."
In addition to serving in various PC party vice-president roles over many years, Elliott led the transition team for the Progressive Conservative representative for Kitchener South-Hespeler, Jess Dixon, after the 2022 election and currently works in data analytics.
The riding has been held at various points in the last 20 years by the NDP, the Liberals and the Progressive Conservatives.
Although it was most recently held by the NDP, the party has been in some turmoil there, as the riding association recently called for party leader Marit Stiles to resign.
The unsigned riding association letter criticized Stiles for kicking rookie legislator Sarah Jama out of caucus last month.
The NDP's byelection candidate is Kitchener city councillor Debbie Chapman. She has been on council for five years and also teaches political science and global studies at Wilfrid Laurier University.
The Greens' candidate is Aislinn Clancy, a fellow city councillor and social worker for the Waterloo Catholic District School Board.
The Liberals have chosen Kelly Steiss, who works in community services for the city of Kitchener.
Ford will have another byelection to call in the coming months, in Lambton-Kent-Middlesex to replace Monte McNaughton, who resigned his seat last month to take an executive role at Woodbine Entertainment.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 1, 2023.
Allison Jones, The Canadian Press
