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Thornhill, Niagara Falls by-election called for Feb. 13, 2014

BurlOak

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http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/thornhill-niagara-falls-byelection-called-for-feb-13-1.2497597

The by-election must be called before the end of March - which would have resulted in a late April or early May election. Wynne chose to call it earlier.

I wonder why it was called at this time - most likely before a confidence vote in the legislature? I wonder if the incumbents will win (Niagara was Liberal, Thornhill was PC)?

The by-elections will give a chance for all three parties to figure out how they would do in a full election. Niagara Falls is a bit of a toss-up - Kim Crator campaigned in such a way that he distanced himself from the Liberal brand even as he ran as one.
 
The by-elections will give a chance for all three parties to figure out how they would do in a full election. Niagara Falls is a bit of a toss-up - Kim Crator campaigned in such a way that he distanced himself from the Liberal brand even as he ran as one.

I hear the big issue is Hydro. The PC's want to build a tunnel and pipe to create electricity from Beck. The Liberals and NDP think the pipe should be in the median of Stanley Avenue instead. :)
 
I expect Niagara Falls to be an NDP/PC fight. Liberal support has really evaporated in the industrial heartland and Kim Craitor was a maverick who was personally popular. Hudak also represents a nearby riding.

The NDP won 2 by-elections in ridings that are fairly similar demographically (Kitchener-Waterloo and London West) with candidates who were both women school trustees.

As for Thornhill, it's hard to say. There might be a lot of anger at Hudak over what happened with Peter Shurman and Hudak's hypocrisy. While I'm not a fan of his politics (or his discretions) Shurman was quite articulate and could have been a useful asset for the GTA. And the Tories failed to get a "star candidate" lined up for Thornhill. On the other hand, the Liberals are down in the polls from 2011 so it'll be harder to reclaim; not even Bernie Farber could take it. And Harper's Israel visit *may* have a spillover effect.
 
My hope is that the NDP takes Niagara Falls and the Liberals miraculously take Thornhill. Only because I'd like to see Teabag Tim taken behind the woodshed, it will also most likely postpone an election until the fall. The Liberals are stale and limping along, but I do fear a rush to the Cons - you just never know where an election will take you.
 
If the PCs hold Thornhill, it'll be thanks to Harper, not Hudak. (Israel, you know.)
 
If the PCs hold Thornhill, it'll be thanks to Harper, not Hudak. (Israel, you know.)

That's what Lorne Bozinoff says, but of course he didn't ask in his survey whether Harper's Israel trip had any impact on how people planned to vote.
 
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If the PCs hold Thornhill, it'll be thanks to Harper, not Hudak. (Israel, you know.)

I believe PC's holding the seat had more to do with the Liberal baggage than the federal conservative's support for Israel.
Harper's support is for the most irrelevant to provincial politics. I live in the riding and heard not a single comment associating the provincial Tories to the Feds.

I think Sandra Rocco Yeung, due to her political experience may have been the best candidate especially in light of Gila Martow's opposition to local development and transportation proposals but the Liberals did not deserve public support. Racco Yeung campaigned on a transportation platform yet Wynn on her Thornhill tour provided only the most vague support for a future Yonge subway extension and nothing to alleviate the congestion we experience now.

Hudak crapped all over Sherman, a valuable voice at Queen's Park. It nearly cost the Tories my support (not a Tory stalwart) even in light of Liberal corruption and incompetence. Martow (a long time community activist) needs to quickly learn to move her fights out of her backyard and into the riding as a whole.
 

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