Seven candidates have officially tossed their hats into the ring hoping to secure the win to serve as the next MPP for the Bay of Quinte.
Elections Ontario finalized the official list of candidates for the Sept. 19 provincial byelection on Sept. 5, 2024.
THE CANDIDATES VYING FOR YOUR VOTES ARE:
Tyler Allsopp, from the PC Party of Ontario.
Lori Borthwick, for the Green Party of Ontario GPO.
Sean Kelly, for the Ontario Liberal Party.
Amanda Robertson, for the Ontario NDP/NPD.
Margaret Schuler, for the New Blue Party.
Mark Snow, Libertarian.
John Turmel, Independent.
As previously reported, the byelection was called following previous long-time MPP Todd Smith’s departure. Smith announced in mid-August that he was resigning after almost 13 years as MPP and six years in Premier Doug Ford’s cabinet to pursue a private sector gig. He’s since taken up a post as vice-president of marketing and business development at CANDU Energy Inc.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT VOTING:
RETURNING OFFICES
The Bay of Quinte returning office is at 360 Pinnacle St., Belleville (on the first floor.)
Early voting started Aug. 22.
The office is open Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; on Sunday, Sept. 8 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Sunday, Sept. 15 from noon to 5 p.m.
Residents can vote in person at returning offices until Sept. 18 at 6 p.m.
For more information, people can also call 1-833-405-1873.
There’s also a Quinte West satellite office at the Trenton United Church, located at 85 Dundas St. E. The hours are the same and in-person voting ends Sept. 18 at 6 p.m.
ADVANCE VOTING LOCATIONS
These locations are open Wednesday, Sept. 11 to Friday, Sept. 13 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Ameliasburgh Town Hall (13 Coleman Ave., Ameliasburg.)
Batawa Community Centre (81 Plant St., Batawa.)
Belleville and District Fish and Game Club (170 Elmwood Dr., Belleville.)
Masonic Hall, Picton (13251 Loyalist Parkway, Picton.)
Quinte West Municipal Office/Library (7 Creswell Dr., Trenton.)
Wellington and District Community Centre (111 Belleville St., Wellington.)
VOTING BY MAIL
Residents can also apply online to vote by mail, with more information available via the Elections Ontario website.
However, it is noted that once people choose this option, they will be unable to choose another voting method. It can also take up to four days for applications to be processed – and completed voting kits must be received by 6 p.m. on election day to be counted, it states online.
VOTING ON ELECTION DAY
Online via Elections Ontario, you can enter your postal code and find out where you can cast your ballots on election day, which is Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024.
Additional voter information/registration info is available via the website.
UPCOMING FORUM:
The Quinte West Chamber of Commerce is set to host a candidates forum on Wednesday, Sept. 11 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. via Zoom. More details are available online.
(Written by: Sarah Hyatt)
