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Ontario Election: Rod Phillips projected to win Ontario riding of Ajax
MPP-elect for the riding of Ajax, Rod Phillips talks to Antony Robart after his projected win in the riding of Ajax, defeating Joe Dickson – Jun 7, 2018
People across Durham Region have been casting their ballots to elect the province’s next premier, but it’s unclear which party will win residents’ votes.
Global News spoke with many voters outside of an Ajax, Ont., polling station, McLean Community Centre, to gauge which candidate earned an “x” beside his or her name.
“We need a change, that’s for sure,” said resident Bruce Perkins, who wouldn’t say which candidate he voted for, but who volunteered that it’s not Ontario Liberal Party leader Kathleen Wynne. “[Mismanagement] of taxpayer’s dollars, so … you don’t have a choice of whom not to vote for, that’s for sure.”
Kathleen Wynne conceded last weekend that her party won’t win the election, and this has made voters like Brian Hoverd change his mind about the Liberal party. “I’ve always voted Liberal but since [Wynne] gave up the race, I think it’s better to vote NDP,” Hoverd said. “I’ve never been a conservative, ever.”
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Hoverd’s wife, Helen, says she also voted for the Ontario New Democratic Party, led by Andrea Horwath. “Unfortunately, this time, I think we’re voting for leaders as opposed to the party because there wasn’t much of a party platform for anybody,” she said. “It was all just about [Wynne], [Ford], and [Horwath].”
Resident Fraser Grant says he voted Liberal and supports incumbent candidate Joe Dickson, who has held the riding of Ajax-Pickering (now called Ajax) since 2007. “He has been a long-time resident here,” Grant said. “Liberals have been getting a bad kick in the cat for a bit, but I think Joe … does what he can for us.”
But Rod Phillips, the former chair of Postmedia, is the PC candidate for the Ajax riding and is hoping to take Dickson’s long-time spot. “Fifteen years of one government, 15 years of mismanagement and waste have left people looking for a different alternative,” said Phillips, referring to the Liberals’ long-time reign over the province. “I’m someone [who] comes from a business background, a community background, and I’ve been working really hard to earn the trust of the people of Ajax.”
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When asked how he would feel if Phillips took on the MPP role, Dickson said, “So be it. You go by what the public says.”
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But Dickson says he feels he has earned more time in office. “I have worked longer and harder than any human being in this area in the last 12 years,” he said.
Residents across the province will be able to cast their ballots until the polls close at 9 p.m.
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