Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock is one of the largest ridings in southern Ontario at nearly 11,000 sq. km. With the exception of Lindsay, this riding is made up of mostly rural farmland and small villages.
More than 120,000 people live here and according to Elections Ontario, nearly 90,000 of them can vote and many of them are seniors.
Traditionally, this riding is a Conservative stronghold. It has been blue since 1999, with the exception of two years when the Liberals won a by-election in 2009.
Laurie Scott had stepped aside to let then Progressive Conservative leader John Tory run for the seat. He lost to Rick Johnson. Scott regained the seat for the PC’s in 2011.
Scott is looking for her fifth term at Queen’s Park.
Brooklynne Cramp-Waldinsperger, a political science student at Western University, is running for the Liberals. Zach Miller, a first year political science student at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology in Oshawa, is the NDP candidate. Lynn Therien is the Green candidate.
Quotes from the candidates
Laurie Scott – PC
“The rising cost of hydro and its effects on business and people. Certainly the cost of living with hydro bills along the way and the fact they’ve been taxed so much by this Liberal government.”
Brooklynne Cramp-Waldinsperger – Liberals
“Poverty reduction is the biggest issue here. I’m proud of initiatives by the Ontario Liberal Party like the basic income pilot, OSAP and OHIP plus to target poverty in our riding.”
Zach Miller – NDP
“Health care is the big concern here. The cuts and freezing of the budgets for our hospital and the lack of attention to long term care and making it more accessible for the seniors of our riding.”
Also running in this riding are Gene Balfour as a Libertarian, Chuck Macmillan for Consensus Ontario and Thomas Rhyno under the “None of the Above”.