WHITBY, Ont. – Voters in Whitby-Oshawa head to the polls today to select a provincial representative to replace Christine Elliott.
The Progressive Conservative MPP resigned in the summer, months after losing the party’s leadership race to Patrick Brown.
Elliott had held the riding since 2006, and before that her late husband Jim Flaherty represented the area provincially since 1995.
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Both were quite popular and the Liberals are hoping now that they have a real shot at the riding for the first time in decades.
Tory candidate Lorne Coe, who has Elliott’s support, is up against Liberal candidate Elizabeth Roy and NDP candidate Niki Lundquist.
While the high-profile candidates duke it out, two others are battling for the “none of the above” vote.
One candidate legally changed his name to Above Znoneofthe so he appears last on the ballot. But directly above him on the ballot is a candidate for the None of the Above party.
Elections Ontario says turnout in advance polls was up slightly from the 2014 general election. Preliminary figures indicated that 6,861 voters cast their ballot in an advance poll, compared to 6,613 in Whitby-Oshawa in 2014.