# Wayne Gates

Wayne J. Gates MPP is a Canadian politician who has represented Niagara Falls in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 2014. A member of the Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP), he was elected in a February 2014 by-election and has been re-elected in each subsequent general election.

## Background

Prior to entering provincial politics, Gates was a city councillor for the City of Niagara Falls, and president of a Unifor local in Niagara Falls, Ontario. He also served as the campaign chair for the United Way, was a member the Yellow Shirt Brigade to save the Fort Erie hospital, member of the city's recreation committee, Project Share volunteer, and member of the Ontario Health Coalition.

## Political career

Gates ran as the federal New Democratic Party's candidate in Niagara Falls in the 2004 federal election and the 2006 federal election finishing third both times.
He was elected as a city councillor in Niagara Falls, Ontario in 2010. In February 2014, he was elected in a provincial by-election in the riding of Niagara Falls. He defeated Progressive Conservative candidate Bart Maves by 962 votes. He was re-elected in the 2014 provincial election defeating PC candidate Bart Maves by 7,429 votes. Gates is the only New Democrat in history to be re-elected in the Niagara Falls riding and holds the record for highest vote tally of any candidate ever in the Niagara Falls provincial riding, at 24,131 votes. He surpassed that record in 2018 by winning 30,161 votes.
Gates has served in several critic portfolio roles as part of the Ontario NDP caucus, including Transportation, Economic Development, workers' health and safety and Consumer Services. He is currently one of the Official Opposition's critic for Long-Term Care, Retirement Homes and Home Care.
In 2016, he scored a major victory by winning unanimous support for his motion to address lengthy wait times for MRI services in Niagara. He continues to advocate for healthcare issues, is a major proponent for the building of the New Niagara Falls Hospital, and has tabled legislation for universal coverage for PSA testing and the creation of a direct caregiver benefit payment in Ontario.

## Electoral record

vte2025 Ontario general election: Niagara Falls :
| The 2025 general election will be held on February 27. |||||||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | New Democratic | Wayne Gates | | | |
| | Progressive Conservative | Ruth-Ann Nieuwesteeg | | | |
| | New Blue | Gary Dumelie | | | |
| | Green | Celia Taylor | | | |
| | Independent | Joedy Burdett | | | |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | |
| Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | |
vte2022 Ontario general election: Niagara Falls :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | New Democratic | Wayne Gates | 24,207 | 48.08 | −2.71 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Bob Gale | 18,342 | 36.43 | +0.86 |
| | Liberal | Ashley Waters | 4,239 | 8.42 | −0.93 |
| | New Blue | Christine Lewis-Napolitano | 1,409 | 2.80 | |
| | Green | Tommy Ward | 1,356 | 2.69 | −0.77 |
| | Ontario Party | Wesley Kavanagh | 656 | 1.30 | |
| | None of the Above | Devon St. Denis-Richard | 135 | 0.27 | |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 50,344 | 100.0 |
| Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots | 309 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,653 | 43.60 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 115,083 |
| | New Democratic hold | New Democratic hold | Swing | Swing | −1.78 |
| Source(s) "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for Each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-05-18."Statistical Summary by Electoral District" (PDF). Elections Ontario. 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-05-21. |||||||
2018 Ontario general election: Niagara Falls :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | New Democratic | Wayne Gates | 30,161 | 50.79 | +3.40 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Chuck McShane | 21,126 | 35.58 | +2.76 |
| | Liberal | Dean Demizio | 5,554 | 9.95 | −5.06 |
| | Green | Karen Fraser | 2,057 | 3.46 | +0.03 |
| | Libertarian | Shaun Somers | 314 | 0.53 | −0.54 |
| | Moderate | Goran Zubic | 169 | 0.28 | |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 59,381 | 100.0 |
| Source: Elections Ontario |||||||
2014 Ontario general election: Niagara Falls :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | New Democratic | Wayne Gates | 24,123 | 47.38 | +7.84 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Bart Maves | 16,699 | 32.80 | -3.96 |
| | Liberal | Lionel Tupman | 7,314 | 14.36 | -5.00 |
| | Green | Clarke Bitter | 1,724 | 3.39 | +0.65 |
| | Libertarian | Ralph Panucci | 560 | 1.10 | +0.67 |
| | None of the Above | John Ringo Beam | 498 | 0.98 | |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 50,918 | 100.0 |
| | New Democratic hold | New Democratic hold | Swing | Swing | +5.90 |
| Source: Elections Ontario |||||||
Ontario provincial by-election, February 13, 2014: Niagara Falls Resignation of Kim Craitor :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | New Democratic | Wayne Gates | 14,526 | 39.44 | +13.14 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Bart Maves | 13,564 | 36.83 | +2.00 |
| | Liberal | Joyce Morocco | 7,143 | 19.39 | -16.50 |
| | Green | Clarke Bitter | 1,006 | 2.73 | +1.11 |
| | Independent | Tim Tredwell | 224 | 0.61 | +0.24 |
| | Libertarian | Stefanos Karatopis | 159 | 0.43 | -0.03 |
| | People's Political Party | Troy Young | 108 | 0.29 | |
| | Freedom | Andrew Brannan | 102 | 0.28 | |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 36,832 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | |
| | NDP gain from Liberal | NDP gain from Liberal | Swing | +14.82% |
2006 Canadian federal election: Niagara Falls :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Rob Nicholson | 23,489 | 40.4 | +1.7 |
| | Liberal | Gary Burroughs | 20,099 | 34.5 | -2.0 |
| | New Democratic | Wayne Gates | 12,214 | 21.0 | +0.2 |
| | Green | Kay Green | 2,402 | 4.1 | +0.1 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 58,204 | 100.0 |
2004 Canadian federal election: Niagara Falls :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Rob Nicholson | 19,882 | 38.7 | -7.7 |
| | Liberal | Victor Pietrangelo | 18,745 | 36.5 | -9.4 |
| | New Democratic | Wayne Gates | 10,680 | 20.8 | +14.7 |
| | Green | Ted Mousseau | 2,071 | 4.0 | +2.7 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 51,378 | 100.0 |