Ontarians have voted!

After Ontarians in five provincial ridings had voted in the August 1^st by-elections, Premier Kathleen Wynne’s minority government became three seats smaller. The governing Liberals managed to hold on to two seats, while New Democrats (NDP) took another two and one went to Progressive Conservatives (PCs). While results in these five ridings, all vacated by former Liberal cabinet ministers, including former Premier Dalton McGuinty, will not change the balance of power at Queen’s Park, they might be a signal of things to come during the next general election.

In this Thursday’s vote, the PCs won in Etobicoke-Lakeshore, giving the party its first seat in Toronto since 1999. City of Toronto Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday beat Liberal Councillor Peter Milczyn in a hard-fought battle where both are members of Mayor Rob Ford’s executive committee.

In Scarborough-Guildwood, CivicAction CEO Mitzie Hunter won the seat beating, PC’s real estate agent Ken Kirupa and the NDP’s Adam Giambrone, a former TTC chair.

In Dalton McGuinty’s former riding of Ottawa South, his constituency assistant John Fraser managed to keep the seat Liberal beating Tory Matt Young and NDP school board trustee Bronwyn Funiciello.

As predicted by earlier polls, Windsor Tecumseh went to NDP’s Percy Hatfield. With 64 per cent of the vote, Hatfield, a city councillor and former broadcaster, claimed an easy victory over PC’s Robert de Verteuil and Liberal Jeewan Gill.

The NDP also surprized political experts by winning the riding of London West.  Former school board chair Peggy Sattler beat out Tory lawyer Ali Chahbar and Liberal Ken Coran, the former president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation.

Follow the link for more information on the candidates and their ratings in the race.

Five new MPPs will be officially sworn in once the Ontario Legislature resumes September 9^th.