Chatham-Kent-Leamington and Essex ridings to watch this provincial election

A University of Windsor political science professor says Chatham-Kent-Leamington has been the talk of Queens Park since its member of provincial parliament (MPP) was kicked out of the Progressive Conservative party for not getting a COVID-19 vaccine.

Add to that, the Liberal party’s switch from one candidate to another, who would eventually withdraw completely.

“When I drive through that region, I see a lot of the anti-Trudeau messaging, so even before this election you saw those kind of black flags on different people’s homes, much more so than I see in Essex or in Windsor,” said University of Windsor professor Lydia Miljan.

A member of the PC party for a decade, Nicholls is now running for the Ontario party, hoping his personal decisions will resonate with voters.

“Some people are very negative and saying, ‘well, you didn't get vaccinated and that’s not showing leadership’ and I said ‘well, hold on a minute, don’t you want a leader that will stand up and speak out and voice an opinion? It may be different than yours but let’s respect that, I respect your choice. Respect mine,’” Nicholls said.

Brock McGregor is running for the New Democrats.

A two-term councillor in Chatham-Kent, McGregor wants to see change.

“Over the past 20 years with Liberal and Conservative cuts to our communities we feel we've been ignored. And I think it's time for a stronger voice for our community. I've advocated in the past for harm reduction, our community, increased investment in infrastructure. And I'm gonna keep doing that if you sent me to Queen's Park,” McGregor said.

Also running in Chatham-Kent-Leamington are Progressive Conservative Trevor Jones, Jennifer Sureus for the Green party, and Bryce Giroux with the None of the Above party.

The riding of Essex is also one to watch, with incumbent Taras Natyshak stepping away from politics.

Ron LeClair, a Windsor police officer for 30 years and current school board trustee said he’s watched the Liberals and Conservatives both fail to invest in social programs.

“The New Democrats have a comprehensive plan to fix our health care, will hire and train 30,000 nurses and cut surgical wait times,” LeClair said. “We'll take the profits out of senior care and put the care back in. The NDP will bring dental and mental health care into Ontario saving families 1000s of dollars. We will end hallway medicine after two years of living in a pandemic. Nothing is more important than our health.”

Frank Causarano, a small business owner for more than 40 years, is running for the Ontario party.

“The question you should be asking yourself is what kind of future do you want in Ontario, for yourself, for your children and grandchildren? There's only one party that will restore democratic processes and affordability back to your life,” he said.

Also running in Essex is Anthony Leardi for the PC party, Liberal Manpreet Brar,  None of the Above party Kevin Linfield and Danielle Sylvester for New Blue.

Candidates running in the Essex riding in the 2022 provincial election.