Provincial Progressive Conservative candidate Laurie Scott has been unofficially re-elected in Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock.
It is Scott’s sixth term representing our area at Queen’s Park, having been elected as MPP for Haliburton-Victoria-Brock in 2003.
Scott says she’s happy her party’s track record can speak for itself.
“Going to a stronger majority government in Ontario, it was very rewarding to think that we’ve gone through a pandemic and we have record builds in many things,” says Scott. “Healthcare, infrastructure, internet, long term care beds, and they wanted this to continue. So [I’m] very humbled and proud.”
According to Scott, her priorities in the riding are still to bump up funding for small and mid-sized hospitals, recruit more health care workers, build more homes as soon as possible, and address the skilled labour shortage.
Provincially, she says she looks forward to meeting with the six-seat stronger Conservative caucus, and predicts that on top of the issues she’s mentioned, new schools and a revisiting of the budget are likely priorities.
“We’ll have to take time after tonight, but I would say that we’re going to be very busy this summer, and I’m happy to do whatever the premier gives me the task of doing,” she says.
Scott also congratulated the six other candidates in the riding, adding that she looks forward to working with them in other capacities.
“It is always a big thing when someone puts their name on the ballot, and I thank all the candidates who ran in the election, I thank the voters for coming out,” says Scott. “And I look forward to working with everybody as we go forward, and I think it’s an exciting time in the next four years for all our communities.”
With all polls having reported at the time of writing, Scott is the likely winner with 25,656 votes, or 52.75 per cent.
She’s followed by the NDP’s Barbara Doyle with 7,677 votes, the Liberals’ Don McBey with 6,606, the Ontario Party’s Dr. Kerstin Kelly with 3,863, the Green Party’s Tom Regina with 3,452, the New Blue Party’s Ben Prentice with 866, and Libertarian Gene Balfour with 516.
Voter turnout was 47.63 per cent of the 102,111 registered voters.
