Photos: Local Candidates Mingle With Constituents At Peterborough Chamber's "Coffee With the Candidates" Event

The Peterborough-Kawartha federal election candidates got a chance to mingle with their constituents at the Peterborough and the Kawartha Chamber of Commerce’s ‘Coffee with the Candidates’ event held at the Holiday Inn on Tuesday morning.

Conservative candidate and incumbent Michelle Ferrari (left) being thanked by Joel Wiebe (right) of the Peterborough Chamber for attending. All photos by David Tuan Bui.

Each candidate had three minutes at the podium to speak to the room before breaking off to speak with the public.

The attending candidates briefly spoke about the following during their podium time (in order):

Chad Jewell (Independent): Regardless of who was in power, no party had answers to raising concerns and issues.

Emma Harrison (Liberal): She highlighted her upbringing which attributes to her hard work ethic. She also highlighted the importance of small businesses and their impact. However, her speech was cut short due after going over the time limit.

Michelle Ferreri (Conservative): Addressed homelessness, increased crime and drug addiction as significant issues that require tackling. Emphasized the housing crisis and says the party is working to cut GST on homes and development fees.

Heather Ray (NDP): Highlighted her past work history and emphasized protecting small businesses.

Jami-Leigh McMaster (PPC): Criticized over promises made by past governments and trading children’s futures for virtue-signalling and economic benefits. She said she does not expect to win but wants to help draw eyes to her party and the issues they want to address.

Jazmine Raine (Green): Gave a timeline of her work and school history, highlighting her journey of finding answers as she does not feel her questions or concerns are heard. She also remarks on how voters feel disenchanted when voting because of the lack of real choice on the ballot. She also briefly wanted to fight for improved healthcare funding and instill a universal basic income.

Matthew Grove (Christian Heritage Party of Canada) was absent from the event.

Election day is April 28 and advanced voting starts this Friday until Monday.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, Youtube and LinkedIn. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for our newsletter here.

MPP Dave Smith Gets Three-Peat and Is Elected For Third Consecutive Term For Conservative Party

Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith has reached the political three-peat as was elected for a third term representing the PC Party after the provincial election held on Thursday.

Smith wins a third-consecutive term for the PC Party. John Melville Turner (1977-1987) was the last Conservative member to win three-straight terms. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Smith won the riding with 40.5 per cent of the votes (22,383). This was an increase from 38.5 per cent (20,188 votes) in his last election in 2022. He beat Liberal Party candidate Adam Hopkins, who had 36.4 per cent of the votes (20,135) as the runner-up.

“It is truly an honour to be able to do this. I've said it multiple times, I owe a debt to the people of Ontario that I can only repay by doing something like this, by giving back to our community,” exclaimed Smith. “I really appreciate the people of this area have decided they'll put their trust in me for four more years. To be able to move the needle so that we have a better place for all of us to live in.”

Smith held his election party at the Peterborough Golf & Country Club and had roughly 80 people in attendance. He was declared the winner roughly 80 minutes after the polls had closed, securing his third term. Premier Doug Ford was re-elected to a third term six minutes after polls closed and immediately had a majority government declared.

“When people take a look at the hard work that we've put into it, what we've tried to accomplish, the steps that we have taken so far, the groundwork has been laid,” explained Smith. “We have help coming and we have things starting to make a difference now.”

As Smith remains MPP, he says it’s obvious that healthcare needs to be worked on but employment opportunities are an even greater priority.

“We saw 3,900 jobs that could have come to this area because we did not have the appropriate land for it. We also had an agricultural company that came to look at it, they needed 65 acres of land. The largest that we had was 44. That company chose to go another location as a result of it,” explained Smith. “We need to have to find a way to have more employment land available so that when we have those opportunities to bring a company here, they actually decide this is the location for them.”

Despite Peterborough having a college and university, many graduates are not staying in town for work; something that needs to change according to Smith.

“We need to reverse that trend,” he said. “That's one of the main things we'll be working on the next four years.”

When asked about the people that did not vote for him, Smith says he’s happy they exercised their right to vote and he is willing to listen to their concerns.

“My door is always open, please feel free to reach out to us, talk to me about what your issues are,” he said. “If it's something that we can help with that's going to make a positive difference, we are going to take every opportunity then to look at that and make this place a better place for everyone.”

The following were the results of the Peterborough-Kawartha Riding:

• Dave Smith (Conservative) - 22,383 votes (40.5 per cent)

• Adam Hopkins (Liberal) - 20,135 votes (36.4 per cent)

• Jen Deck (New Democratic) - 9,480 votes (17.1 per cent)

• Lucas Graham (Green Party) - 1,738 votes (3.1 per cent)

• Andrew Roudny (New Blue) - 864 votes (1.6 per cent)

• Brian Martindale (Ontario Party) - 684 votes (1.2 per cent)

Smith (left) beign congratulated by Hopkins (right) moments after the former was declared the winner of the provincial election.

Hopkins made a brief visit congratulating Smith’s win. He is newer to the political world, being elected two weeks prior to the election. Despite being unable to defeat Smith, he was happy with the results since he was named the Liberal Party candidate in a short amount of time. He said he didn’t know how it was going to go or had a lot of confidence to start but it grew quickly with the election results since the Liberals gained some seats and regained official party status as a result with 14 (12 being the official threshold).

“There's some good numbers and we've got some momentum behind some additional seats,” he said.

Liberal Party Leader Bonnie Crombie lost her Mississauga East-Cooksville riding to PC Party candidate Silvia Gualtieri by a vote count of 46.5 percent (16,763) to 43.1 per cent (15,536).

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

MPP Dave Smith Reflects On Political Career As He Seeks Three-Peat In Thursday's Provincial Election

With the provincial election this Thursday, Peterborough Kawartha MPP Dave Smith reflects on his political career as he goes for the three-peat, seeking a third consecutive term.

Smith talks to constituants at AON Inc’s Royal Gardens Retirement Residence days before election this Thursday. Photo by David Tuan bui.

Smith was first elected in 2018 for the Progressive Conservative Party, defeating current Peterborough mayor and then incumbent Jeff Leal of the Liberal Party. He won his second term in 2022, making him the most recent Conservative Party member elected as Peterborough-Kawartha MPP in back-to-back terms since Gary Stewart did it from 1995 to 2003.

Smith visited Royal Gardens Retirement Residence and held a Q&A session for constituents living on the grounds.

Among topics discussed, including US President Donald Trump’s tariffs and employment, among other issues, healthcare was one of the critical topics Smith and the residents touched on.

“We've laid the groundwork for a lot of things. There are things like adding doctors. It just takes five years for a doctor to be trained. There's no way we can get around that,” explained Smith. “With the work we have done, the increase in the number of residence positions by 400. We are producing more doctors now than we were. We're going to see the benefits of that.”

“My whole philosophy on this is that I owe a debt to the people of Ontario that I cannot repay. The only way I can start to give back is to continue doing this work to make that our community is in a better position than it was when I first found it,” added Smith. “I think a lot of the work I've been doing has been about that. That's what my focus is on, ‘How can continue to improve the situation for people here?’”

Smith adds that the provincial government is adding a $6.2 million Homeless Addiction Rehabilitation Treatment (HART) hub, announced in late January. His government also proposed a $1.13 million detox and residential treatment facility in Peterborough, containing six drug and six detox beds for those battling with addictions that were announced in February 2023. These are several moves, among many, that he said he would continue to do for Peterborough-Kawartha.

“We've increased the funding for the Peterborough Regional Hospital. We've added tools for physician recruitment, we have changed the process, the scope of nurse practitioners can do more of what they're taught and not have their hands handcuffed on certain things and we'll continue down that path and meeting people where they are but we're not leaving them there,” Smith said. “We're going to do everything we can to improve the lives of as many people as possible.

Smith has been challenged by all new candidates since the last provincial election in 2022, except Jen Deck, who is once again running as the NDP candidate.

Regardless of Thursday’s outcome, Smith reflects on serving two terms at MPP and has not taken his role for granted.

“I'm proud of the fact that people have put their trust to serve their needs, to listen to what they have to say and I think when you look at what I have done, the legacy will be that I listened, I reacted, I tried to improve the situation and I'll continue to do that,” concluded Smith.

The following are the candidates running for Peterborough-Kawartha MPP:

• MPP Dave Smith: PC Party of Ontario (incumbent)

• Adam Hopkins: Ontario Liberal Party

• Jen Deck: Ontario NDP/NPD

• Lucas Graham: Green Party of Ontario GPO

• Brian Martindale: Ontario Party

• Andrew Roudny: New Blue Party

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, Youtube and LinkedIn. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for our newsletter here.

What You Need to Know To Vote In Advance Polls For Provincial Election Beginning Thursday

Advanced polls for this year’s provincial election in the Peterborough-Kawartha Riding begin this Thursday.

This is the first winter provincial election for Ontario since 1981. Since Friday, Candidate nominations have been closed. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Voters can hit advance polls starting Thursday and running until Saturday.

Advance polls run from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. You can vote in the advance polls in one of any of the following locations:

• Peterborough Square (Unit 21), 360 George St. (Local Election Office)

• Havelock Seniors Centre, 10 George St., Havelock

• Lakefield Community Centre, 20 Concession St., Lakefield

• Peterborough Lions Community Centre, 347 Burnham St., Peterborough

• North Kawartha Comunity Centre, 340 McFadden Rd., Apsley

• Trent Lakes Municipal Office, 780 County Rd. 36, Bobcaygeon

• Miskin Law Community Complex, 271 Lansdowne St. W., Peterborough

Additionally, the Local Election Office runs on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

Instructions when voting in the advance polls:

• When you arrive at the voting location, you will be asked to show your ID to an election official, who will check if you are on the voter list

• If you are not on the list, the election official will add you to the voters list and ask you to sign a declaration

• The election official will then issue you a ballot

• You will go behind a voting screen to mark your ballot. To vote for your chosen candidate, mark an X in the circle beside their name and return the completed ballot to the ballot box

• You will place your marked ballot into the secrecy folder and take it to an election official operating a tabulator

The following are the candidates for the ridings in the Kawarthas for the provincial election:

Peterborough-Kawartha

• MPP Dave Smith: PC Party of Ontario (incumbent)

• Adam Hopkins: Ontario Liberal Party

• Jen Deck: Ontario NDP/NPD

• Lucas Graham: Green Party of Ontario GPO

• Brian Martindale: Ontario Party

• Andrew Roudny: New Blue Party

Northumberland—Peterborough South

• David Piccini – PC Party of Ontario (incumbent)

• Dorothy Noronha – Ontario Liberal Party

• Bruce LePage – Ontario NDP/NPD

• Maxwell Groves – Green Party of Ontario

• Florian Bors – Ontario Party

• Joshua Chalhoub – New Blue Party

Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock

• Laurie Scott: PC Party of Ontario (incumbent)

• Alison Bennie: Ontario Liberal Party

• Barbara Doyle: Ontario NDP/NPD

• Tom Regina: Green Party of Ontario

• Brian Kerr: Ontario Party

• Jacquie Barker: New Blue Party

• Bill Denby: Freedom Party of Ontario

• Gene Balfour: Independent

• Zachary Tisdale: Libertarian

Hastings—Lennox and Addington

• Ric Bresee: PC Party of Ontario (incumbent)

• Lynn Rigby: Ontario Liberal Party

• Jessica Zielke: Ontario NDP/NPD

• Mike Holbrook: Green Party of Ontario

• Derek Sloan: Ontario Party

• Glenn Tyrrell: New Blue Party

You can vote by mail by applying to Elections Ontario by Friday.

Requests for a braille voter information card must be received by Wednesday by contacting Elections Ontario at info@elections.on.caOpens or calling 1-888-668-8683.

Voting on election day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Feb. 27.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, Youtube and LinkedIn. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for our newsletter here.

MPP Dave Smith Named Ontario PC Party Candidate In Next Provincial Election For Peterborough-Kawartha

Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith is going for a third consecutive term as he has been acclaimed as the Ontario PC party’s candidate in the next provincial general election, announced on Thursday.

Photo by Luke Best.

Smith earned his second term in a back-to-back after being re-elected in 2022 with 20,188 votes which is 38.5 percent of the ballots. Gary Stewart was the last Conservative MPP for the Peterborough-Kawartha riding to get elected for consecutive terms from 1995-2003.

Smith was declared the winner 38 minutes after the polls had closed. Premier Doug Ford was re-elected to a second term 11 minutes after polls closed. They earned a majority government seven minutes later.

“I want to thank the great people of Peterborough Kawartha for putting their trust in me to once again carry the banner for Premier Ford and the Progressive Conservatives in the next provincial election,” said Smith. “We have accomplished so much over the last seven years but my work is not yet finished. I want to thank my family for their unwavering support and all of my friends who have rallied around me to help make life better for everyone in our region.”

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, Youtube and LinkedIn. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for our newsletter here.

Mayoral Candidate Interview: Victor Kreuz

David Tuan Bui speaks with mayoral candidate Victor Kreuz for the upcoming municipal election. Bui and Kreuz discuss Kreuz's background, identifying the problems that needed to be addressed in the city and the environment being a foundation for developing Peterborough.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Mayoral Candidate Interview: Coun. Henry Clarke

Felicia Massey speaks with mayoral candidate Coun. Henry Clarke for the upcoming municipal election this Monday. Massey and Clarke discuss the struggles citizens have in Peterborough, the environment, homelessness and the housing crisis.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Mayoral Candidate Interview: Jeff Leal

Felicia Massey speaks with mayoral candidate and former MPP Jeff Leal for the upcoming municipal election this Monday. Massey and Leal discuss what Leal has been doing since four years after his MPP term ended, his return to politics and what he plans to tackle if elected.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Mayoral Candidate Interview: Coun. Stephen Wright

David Tuan Bui speaks with mayoral candidate Coun. Stephen Wright for the upcoming municipal election occurring on Monday. Bui and Wright discuss the third economic wave, the drug addiction and homelessness issue and address community facilities.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Peterborough Municipal Election Signs Approved For Recycling

Municipal election signs have been deemed safe to recycle announced by the City of Peterborough on Tuesday.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The signs are made of white corrugated plastic sheeting — commonly called Coroplast — and have been added to the list of recyclable materials. City of Peterborough’s recycling services provider, Emterra, found a company that will accept the material for reuse according to a press release.

Coroplast election signs can be dropped off at the Material Recycling Facility at 390 Pido Rd. in one of the designated bins that are marked for election signs. Only the Coroplast part of the sign is accepted as any metal or wood post with it must be removed. The signs will not be accepted through curbside collection for recycling.

Candidates typically collect their election signs following elections.

Most election signs are made from Coroplast. The interior is a white corrugated plastic material which can be seen on the edges of the sign. Signs that have black interiors or edges are not made of Coroplast and are not recyclable.

Signs are to be recycled by no later than Nov. 30.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.