MacLeod, New Blue Enters Local Provincial Race as Final Contender
Truck driver and homesteader offers an alternative Conservative option.
There are now five candidates vying to represent Timiskaming-Cochrane in the upcoming provincial elections set for February 27th. Last month, local Green candidate Kris Rivard announced he was once again challenging long-time incumbent John Vanthof.
For voters in West Nipissing, these may seem like the only two options available. As in 2022, the Liberals and PCs are not making much of an effort locally. The parties recently announced that Troy Delaurier and Rick Ellsmere would be representing them however the Liberals and PCs have not indicated if these individuals will be allowed to participate in local debates.
But earlier this week, the New Blue Party announced their pick locally: Stephen MacLeod. MacLeod has already had success locally in politics. Representing the People’s Party of Canada (PPC) in the last federal elections, MacLeod surprised many by capturing over 13% of the vote.
Since the third-place Liberals only secured 6.8% of the vote in the last provincial election, MacLeod’s candidacy could shake up the race.
MacLeod, 45, lives just outside of New Liskeard with his wife and two children, where they manage a small homestead. His background in trucking gives him firsthand experience with issues affecting Northern Ontario’s highways, a topic he says will be a priority if elected. MacLeod is entering the race with a platform focused on highway safety, tax reduction, and opposing what he calls "woke activism" in Ontario schools.
"Mr. Vanthof has done a lot of work over the past few years in raising awareness of the issues in training commercial drivers and the dangers on our northern highways," MacLeod said, referring to incumbent NDP MPP John Vanthof. "My goal is to take what he's done so far and kick things into motion by creating a task force to work with the MTO and various communities to create and implement solutions in an expedient way."
MacLeod also emphasized his willingness to collaborate with MPPs from other parties, stating that his primary focus is improving the riding, not partisan politics. "I will gladly work with the other elected MPPs regardless of the party they represent because I firmly believe the goal we all share is that we want the best for each of our ridings."
New Blue Party
The New Blue Party was established by Jim and Belinda Karahalios in 2020. Belinda is a former PC MPP who was removed from Ford’s government in 2020 for opposing his emergency measures during the COVID lockdowns. Jim is a former Conservative Party of Canada member who was one of the first to campaign on “axing the carbon tax” in 2017.
In 2020, Jim and Belinda formed New Blue Party as a socially conservative party. It advocates for policies such as tax cuts and opposition to "woke" activism, including the removal of critical race theory and gender identity education from schools, while promoting small businesses, places of worship, and democratic integrity.
In only its second election as a party, the New Blue Party once again has candidates in almost every riding in the province.
The Ontario elections are February 27th.
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Stephen MacLeod may well make it in the top three. The provincial Liberals seem to be running a disastrous campaign.
As far as voting goes, my wife and I received our mail-in ballot packages on Monday.
Where do we go to vote in west Nippising ,and who is repesenting conservetive.New in Sturgeon Falls.