Mike Harris Jr. handily won re-election in the Kitchener-Conestoga riding as part of Thursday night’s big win for the Progressive Conservatives.
Where the local race was close in 2018, Harris edging the NDP candidate by 700 votes, this time around the PC candidate won by more than 4,000.
Unofficial results from Elections Ontario show Harris captured 15,045 votes, just over 40 per cent of those cast in the riding. The NDP’s Karen Meissner was second with 10,851 votes (28.9 per cent), followed by Liberal Melanie Van Alphen (17.5 per cent) and Nasir Abdulle of the Green Party with 2,315 (6.2 per cent). The field was rounded out by Jim Karahalious of the New Blue Party (2,223 votes, 5.9 per cent), Elisabeth Perrin Snyder of the Ontario Party (501, 1.3 per cent) and Jason Adair of Populist Ontario (64, 0.17 per cent).
Of the 77,417 residents on the voters’ list, just 48.55 per cent turned out to vote. That reflects the low turnout seen provincially, with just 43 per cent of voters casting ballots, down from 57 per cent in 2018.
Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives took 83 of Ontario’s 124 ridings, up from 76 the last time around, capturing 40.9 per cent of the votes cast.
The electoral map in Waterloo Region remained unchanged, with the NDP holding on to Waterloo and Kitchener-Centre and the PCs retaining Kitchener South – Hespeler.
The extent of the Conservative victory was evident early on Thursday night. Harris joined his election team and supporters at the Crowsfoot Smokehaus in Conestogo, thanking them for their efforts.
He pledged to “continue to build off the great work that we’ve done for the last four years,” with a focus on all-day, two-way GO Transit and building a new hospital in the region.
Addressing a common issue on the campaign trail – inflation – Harris said it’s clear what residents find most pressing. “Right now, affordability. Whether it’s at the gas pumps, in the grocery store, paying rent or negotiating a mortgage.”
He said the conservatives have a plan to tackle affordability problems, including lower gasoline taxes and working to build more homes.
At the Liberal campaign gathering in Kitchener, candidate Melanie Van Alphen saw the party’s time in the wilderness continue. Province-wide, the Liberals picked up just one more seat than the seven they were reduced to in 2018.
“I encourage all of us to keep the government to account. There were many promises made last election and this election going forward. And as residents it is our job to hold them to account. And I would say the same thing if it were me, representing all of you because that is what we do. We say what we’re going to do, we make promises and we follow through. So I encourage everyone to make sure that that happens going forward,” she told supporters gathered at the Malt & Barley Public House.
While it’s early yet, she hasn’t ruled out running again in the next election.
“It’s definitely a possibility. I won’t commit to anything. I’m going to try and absorb and process the last few months – it was a great experience. I am proud to be an Ontario Liberal.
I’m proud of the team that we’re building. And I am proud of all the work that we did over the last couple of years,” she said. “I have every intention of staying involved, every intention to work with the local riding association and staying connected with my team. We’re going to build it even stronger. And we’ll see what happens.”
