# Ross Romano

Rosario "Ross" Romano (born 1979) is a Canadian politician who served as Chief Government Whip in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. A member of the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party, Romano held a number of portfolios since the PCs formed government in 2018, including as minister of government and consumer services, and minister of colleges and universities. He represented the riding of Sault Ste. Marie until 2025.

## Political career

A lawyer by profession, Romano began his political career upon being elected to the Sault Ste. Marie City Council in 2014. He was first elected to the Ontario Legislature on June 1, 2017, in a by-election called due to the retirement of the riding's previous MPP, David Orazietti, thus becoming the first Conservative to represent the district in 32 years.
Romano was re-elected on June 7, 2018, with a 1.29% advantage over Michele McCleave-Kennedy.
In November 2018, he came under fire for comments made during a debate on funding certain take-home cancer medications, comparing the cost of funding the additional treatments to children wanting both toys and ice cream. He withdrew the comments the next day.
He was appointed Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities in June 2019, championing initiatives such as provincial support for microcredentials. During his tenure, Laurentian University declared insolvency and filed for creditor protection.
Romano was shuffled to the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services in June 2021. He presided over the launch of Ontario's new online Business Registry, which aimed to shift many paper-based processes to digital ones. Its launch was difficult, punctuated with "system shutdowns, technical glitches and substantive problems". One media outlet described it as a disaster, with some law firms telling their clients to avoid the creation or use of Ontario corporate entities so as not to put business transactions at risk.
In June 2022, Romano won re-election with an increased margin over NDP challenger Michele McCleave-Kennedy amid a decline of some 10% in voter turnout. Shortly thereafter, he was removed from his position as Minister of Government and Consumer Services as part of a post-election cabinet shuffle. He was named Government Whip later that month.
In December 2024, he announced that he would not be seeking reelection, and would retire from provincial politics at the end of his current term to spend more time with his family.

## Awards and Honours

In June 2024, Romano was recognized with the Distinguished Alumni Award from his undergraduate alma mater Algoma University, which at the time of his attendance was an affiliated college of Laurentian.

## Electoral record

vte2022 Ontario general election: Sault Ste. Marie :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Progressive Conservative | Ross Romano | 12,606 | 46.89 | +4.86 | $49,426 |
| | New Democratic | Michele McCleave-Kennedy | 10,029 | 37.30 | −3.43 | $78,662 |
| | Liberal | Liam Hancock | 1,610 | 5.99 | −3.97 | $0 |
| | Independent | Naomi Sayers | 1,070 | 3.98 | | $2,001 |
| | New Blue | Shane Pankhurst | 894 | 3.33 | | $1,690 |
| | Green | Keagan Gilfillan | 675 | 2.51 | −0.74 | $381 |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 26,884 | 99.47 | +0.48 | $85,145 |
| Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots | 143 | 0.53 | -0.48 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27,027 | 44.49 | -10.00 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 60,818 |
| | Progressive Conservative hold | Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | +4.15 |
| 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: Sault Ste. Marie :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Ross Romano | 13,498 | 42.03 | +1.66 |
| | New Democratic | Michele McCleave-Kennedy | 13,084 | 40.74 | +7.92 |
| | Liberal | Jaclynne Hamel | 3,199 | 9.96 | –13.05 |
| | Green | Kara Flannigan | 1,044 | 3.25 | +1.26 |
| | Northern Ontario | Sandy Holmberg | 993 | 3.09 | |
| | Libertarian | Lance Brizard | 299 | 0.93 | +0.65 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 32,117 | 100.0 |
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 54.79 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 58,616 |
| | Progressive Conservative hold | Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | –3.13 |
| Source: Elections Ontario |||||||
Ontario provincial by-election, June 1, 2017 Resignation of David Orazietti :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Ross Romano | 10,411 | 40.37 | +27.98 |
| | New Democratic | Joe Krmpotich | 8,465 | 32.82 | +7.63 |
| | Liberal | Debbie Amaroso | 5,935 | 23.01 | –35.57 |
| | Green | Kara Flannigan | 512 | 1.98 | –1.25 |
| | None of the Above | Above Znoneofthe | 313 | 1.21 | |
| | Libertarian | Gene Balfour | 71 | 0.28 | –0.10 |
| | Pauper | John Turmel | 47 | 0.18 | |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 25,785 | 100.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 43.93 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 58,690 |
| | Progressive Conservative gain from Liberal | Progressive Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | Swing | +10.14 |
| Source: Elections Ontario |||||||