It’s day one of the provincial election campaign – although many candidates have been out knocking on doors for quite some time.
Another indication of election season: Lawn signs started popping up all over the city.
“It's really exciting to get out there, put up the lawn signs,” said Adam Ibrahim, the PC Candidate in Windsor West. His team of volunteers were hammering in signs across the riding all day.
Ibrahim says Windsor needs a new and stronger voice at Queen’s Park.
“Our hallway health system is unacceptable. Skyrocketing hydro rates… An education system that is broken,” Ibrahim said. “We deserve better and that's what I'm trying to accomplish advocating for the past year and a half.”
Lisa Gretzky, the NDP incumbent, wasted no time pushing her message for a change in government.
“They're saying the liberals have had 15 years to get done anything they wanted to do and all they've seen is a 300 per cent increase in their hydro bills, longer wait times in our hospitals,” Gretzky said. “People are really ready for change.”
But Liberal candidate for Windsor West Rino Bortolin cautions change is not always good.
“We understand that after three, four terms in power, people get government fatigue but we really have to be careful how we react to that because the alternative could really set us back,” said Bortolin.
Green Party candidate Krysta Glovasky-Ridsdale is focused on being a voice for the creation of accessible jobs, health care, public transportation and affordable housing.
“There are a lot of people that think the way I do. I'm not just a voice in the wind,” Glovasky-Ridsdale said. “If this is going to be a platform to make sure that we start putting forward what's good for the people, then that's why I'm here.”
Across the region
In Windsor-Tecumseh, NDP incumbent Percy Hatfield will be running against Progressive Conservative candidate Mohammed Latif, Liberal Remi Boulbol and Henry Oulevey of the Green Party.
In Essex, Taras Natyshak is seeking re-election with the New Democrats. The PC hopeful is Chris Lewis and the Green Party is putting up Nancy Pancheshan. The Liberal Party does not have a candidate in the riding at this time.
In the riding of Chatham-Kent-Leamington, Rick Nicholls is once again seeking re-election for the PCs. Margaret Schleier Stahl is running for the Liberal Party; Jordan McGrail is the NDP candidate and Mark Vercouteren rounds out the field for the Greens.
