Ontario Liberals to nominate Ottawa-Vanier byelection candidate

Ontario Liberals in Ottawa-Vanier will nominate their candidate Saturday for a yet-to-be-called byelection.

The seat was vacated this summer when Liberal Nathalie Des Rosiers resigned to take a position at Massey College.

The premier has until Feb. 2 to call a byelection in the riding, and has not done so yet.

The Liberals have handily won the riding in every provincial election since 1971, including the 2016 byelection that Des Rosiers won.

WATCH (July 10, 2019): Former Ontario health minister Helena Jaczek to seek Liberal nomination in Markham-Stouffville

0:33 Former Ontario health minister Helena Jaczek to seek Liberal nomination in Markham-Stouffville

Two community activists are vying to become the Liberal candidate – lawyer Lucille Collard is also a French public school trustee in Ottawa-Vanier and the chair of the board.

Lauren Touchant is finishing a PhD in public administration at the University of Ottawa, specialized in environmental and energy policy and is the chair of the Vanier Community Association.