TORONTO — Ontario's Green party has won its first-ever seat in the legislature with leader Mike Schreiner handily beating out his rivals.

Schreiner won by a comfortable margin in his Guelph riding.

The American-born politician moved to Canada in 1994 and became leader of the provincial Greens 15 years later.

In the 2014 election, Schreiner finished third with 19.29 per cent of the vote — less than two per cent behind the Progressive Conservative candidate and ahead of the NDP. </s> TORONTO -- Ontario's Green party has won its first-ever seat in the legislature with leader Mike Schreiner handily beating out his rivals.

Schreiner won by a comfortable margin in his Guelph riding.

The American-born politician moved to Canada in 1994 and became leader of the provincial Greens 15 years later.

In the 2014 election, Schreiner finished third with 19.29 per cent of the vote -- less than two per cent behind the Progressive Conservative candidate and ahead of the NDP.

And this time, it was clear Schreiner had a shot at making history with recent polls suggesting he was in the lead.

He was competing for the former seat of prominent Liberal Liz Sandals, who had decided not to run again. </s> Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner has made Ontario history by winning a seat in Guelph.

"Tonight is the end of one chapter for me and the beginning of another, for Guelph, for the Green Party, for Ontario," Schreiner told supporters during his victory speech Thursday night. "I'm ready to take my seat at Queen's Park."

Schreiner told cheering supporters he got into politics to leave a livable future for his children.

"I commit to you that I will work hard for you. I will work hard to make sure that we protect the people and places we love in this province," he said. "Over the last nine years, I've learned so much about this great province and this city, this party and probably most of all I've learned a lot about myself. We are blessed. We are so blessed to live in Guelph and to live in Ontario."

He also thanked former premier Kathleen Wynne for a supportive ear over the years.

"I've had the opportunity to talk about a lot of what I've accomplished before having a seat at Queens Park, and it's partly because premier Wynne listened when I came to her with ideas about how we could make Ontario better and acted on some of those ideas and I want to thank her for that," he said.

With all 80 polls reporting in Guelph, Schreiner took about 45 per cent of the vote.

NDP candidate Agnieszka Mlynarz and Progressive Conservative Ray Ferraro each won about 22 per cent of the ballots.

Liberal Sly Castaldi took 10 per cent of the ballots.

Paul Taylor of the None of the Above Party won 0.6 per cent of the vote.

Libertarian Michael Riehl received 0.5 per cent of the vote.

Ontario Party candidate Thomas Mooney won 0.3 per cent.

Communist Juanita Burnett received 0.2 per cent of the ballots cast.

Voter turnout in the riding was about 63 per cent.

CBC projected Mike Schreiner, the leader of the Green Party, will win his seat in Guelph. Schreiner delivered his victory speech Thursday night in Guelph. (CBC)

Riding history

There is no incumbent in Guelph because former Liberal MPP Liz Sandals, who most recently served as Treasury Board President until January of this year, opted not to run in this election. She said she was ready to become "a full-time grandmother."

Sandals has held the seat since 2003.

Ontario Votes 2018 Dashboard: Get election results here starting at 9 p.m. ET

Sly Castaldi ran as the Liberal candidate, replacing Sandals. She is known in the community for her work as the executive director of Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis.

Agnieszka Mlynarz made an impact on voters during all candidates debates, representing the NDP. She recently earned her masters of arts at University of Guelph and did advocacy work as a student.

The Progressive Conservatives caused a bit of a stir when the party named former city councillor Ray Ferraro the candidate in Guelph. Ferraro was called out on social media for not attending all of the candidate debates. He spoke out against media reports that said he didn't support PC Leader Doug Ford.

Schreiner has led the Green party in Ontario since 2009.

Other candidates in Guelph included Juanita Burnett of the Communist party, Ontario Party candidate Thomas Mooney, Libertarian Michael Riehl and Paul Taylor of the None of the Above Direct Democracy Party.

Guelph riding, 2018. (Elections Ontario) </s> All politics is local, or so we’re told. Elections certainly express themselves in a telling level of local detail.

Ontario’s provincial election is the first where detailed poll-level data has been available on election night, as opposed to a week or two afterward. Here, we’ve used it to tell the stories of Ontario’s dramatic election.

Not all polls had reported when we prepared the maps, but enough have to give a general idea. Our 2014 maps use an overlay of the 2018 ridings.

READ MORE: Kathleen Wynne won her seat, but the Liberals lost official party status

Guelph elected Ontario’s first Green MPP, party leader Mike Schreiner. In the end, it wasn’t all that close, as you can see below. The Greens followed a strategy similar to the one that’s worked for them federally: focusing on one riding instead of dissipating effort and not winning any seats. (The Greens got 354,000 votes in Ontario’s 2007 election, but won no seats at all.)

READ MORE: Mike Schreiner becomes first Green Party candidate to be elected in Ontario

WATCH: Following the majority government win by the Progressive Conservatives, Eric Sorensen takes a look at the new make-up of Queen’s Park when the new government returns to the legislature.

 



It was going to be interesting to see where Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas, a new riding created in the last redistribution, went in this election. It was cobbled together out of part of Hamilton Mountain, reliably NDP, and Ancaster and Dundas, which traditionally vote either Liberal or NDP.

In the end, Ancaster voted PC, but Dundas joined Hamilton Mountain in voting NDP, swinging the riding to the NDP.

READ MORE: NDP candidate Ian Arthur wins Kingston and the Islands

Kingston’s 2018 map is unrecognizable, compared to 2014. It becomes one of a few NDP outposts in eastern Ontario,.

READ MORE: The story of the Ontario Liberals’ 2018 election campaign

As expected, Ottawa Centre swung to the NDP. Andrea Horwath had fought hard for the seat, as the party’s likeliest pickup in the Ottawa area.

WATCH: Ipsos CEO Darrell Bricker called the 2018 Ontario Election results as the “revenge of the commuters” after a majority of rural voters turned to the Conservatives.

 



Liberal leader Kathleen Wynne was re-elected in a nail-biter finish that in the end was settled by fewer than 200 votes, after the very last poll reported. Don Valley West moved west in a recent redistribution, changing its political personality but not its name. The shift favoured the PCs, adding Tory polls and dropping Liberal ones. (The map below shows the 2018 boundaries on the 2014 results.)

The political divisions in the riding are related to income, with high-income Tory polls in the north of the riding, and more mixed-income polls to the south.

St. Paul’s, an upscale midtown Toronto riding traditionally thought of as an impregnable Liberal stronghold, fell to the NDP in a three-way race. Once a solid brick of red with a few Tory polls in the wealthy Forest Hill area, the neighbourhoods to the south and west, and along Yonge St., opted for the NDP.

Ford Nation turned out for the PCs

In Toronto, PC polls have a strong relationship to polls won by Doug Ford when he was a mayoral candidate in the city in 2014 – northern Etobicoke, Scarborough and, to a lesser degree, North York. The maps raise questions about whether the federal Conservatives can hope for inroads in the 416 area code, until recently a bastion of Liberal and NDP support, in 2019.

Etobicoke North was reliably Liberal for many years. When PC leader Doug Ford ran there, some wondered if he was taking a risk, notwithstanding his family’s political dynasty in that part of the city. How did that turn out? Have a look at the maps: </s> The Canadian Press list by parties of elected and defeated prominent candidates.

Charles Fox, former Grand Chief of Nishnawbe-Aski Nation, defeated in Algoma-Manitoulin by Michael Mantha (NDP).

Harinder K. Malhi, status of women minister, defeated in Brampton North by Kevin Yarde (NDP).

Michael Coteau, community and social services minister, children and youth services minister, elected in Don Valley East; defeated Denzil Minnan-Wong (PC), deputy mayor of Toronto.

Daiene Vernile, tourism, culture and sport minister, defeated in Kitchener Centre by Laura Mae Lindo (NDP).

Chris Ballard, environment minister, defeated in Newmarket-Aurora by Christine Elliott (PC), former PC leadership hopeful.

Nathalie Des Rosiers, natural resources and forestry minister, elected in Ottawa-Vanier; defeated Lyra Evans (NDP), first transgender person to represent a major party in an Ontario election.

Bob Chiarelli, infrastructure minister, former mayor of Ottawa, defeated in Ottawa West-Nepean by Jeremy Roberts (PC).

Reza Moridi, research, innovation and science minister, defeated in Richmond Hill by Daisy Wai (PC).

Jim Bradley, longest current serving member of the legislature, defeated in St. Catharines by Jennie Stevens (NDP).

Soo Wong, first female Chinese-Canadian to be elected to the Ontario legislature, defeated in Scarborough-Agincourt by Aris Babikian (PC).

David Zimmer, Indigenous relations and reconciliations minister, defeated in Willowdale by Stan Cho (PC).

Laura Albanese, citizenship and immigration minister, defeated in York South-Weston by Faisal Hassan (NDP).

Rod Phillips, former head of OLG and Postmedia, elected in Ajax.

Denzil Minnan-Wong, deputy mayor of Toronto, defeated in Don Valley East by Michael Coteau (LIB), community and social services minister, children and youth services minister.

Mike Harris, son of former PC premier Mike Harris, elected in Kitchener-Conestoga.

Sam Oosterhoff, Became youngest MPP at age 19 last year, elected in Niagara West.

Troy Crowder, former NHL hockey player, defeated in Sudbury by Jamie West (NDP).

Caroline Mulroney, former PC leadership candidate, daughter of former prime minister Brian Mulroney, elected in York-Simcoe.

Lyra Evans, first transgender person to represent a major party in an Ontario election, defeated in Ottawa-Vanier by Nathalie Des Rosiers (LIB), natural resources and forestry minister.

John Turmel, holds Guinness World Records for most elections contested and lost, defeated in Brantford-Brant by Will Bouma (PC). </s> TORONTO -- Doug Ford said Friday he's working with Ontario's outgoing Liberals to ensure a smooth transition to power -- a process he said would take three weeks, involve the help of those who've worked at the federal level and see the formation of a strong Progressive Conservative cabinet.

The premier-designate, who secured a majority a day earlier with a slew of populist promises, said his first order of business would be to scrutinize the province's books.

"We have to see the financial situation that's been left behind, and over the next couple days and weeks you're going to hear from us, but the most important thing is getting our fiscal house in order," Ford said.

"Immediately, we'll be out looking for an auditing firm to go into the province to go line item by line item. I always believe in third party validation."

Once the audit is complete, Ford said he planned to address many of the promises he made during the election campaign, including lowering taxes, cutting hydro rates, and eliminating the cap-and-trade system.

"After a hard-fought campaign, we know the hard work has just begun," he said. "But we intend to act fast. We will have much more to share with the people of Ontario in the coming days and weeks."

Ford's transition team, which will help him segue into power over 21 days, includes former Conservative MP John Baird, a past chief of staff in former prime minister Stephen Harper's government, and an executive at the Ford family business.

"We have already hit the ground running," Ford said. "We have begun work right away on setting up the premier's office, establishing a cabinet and implementing the machinery of a new government."

Ontario's lieutenant-governor met with Ford on Friday afternoon, inviting him to form government.

The Tories secured 76 ridings, the NDP got 40 and the Liberals were reduced to seven seats. Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner captured the party's first-ever seat in Ontario.

The NDP's position as the Official Opposition marks a turnaround for the party consistently stuck in third place since Bob Rae's New Democratic government was defeated in 1995. Party leader Andrea Horwath said Friday that Ontarians have chosen her New Democrats to keep Ford accountable.

"Our ideas are quite different and Mr. Ford's plan to cut all those taxes for the richest people in Ontario is going to put a big hole in our finances here in this province," she said. "I'm hopeful that Mr. Ford understands that we need revenues in our province to pay for the kinds of things that people expect a government to provide."

Ford was frequently accused during the election campaign of failing to be transparent by dodging calls to release a fully costed platform. The party eventually published a list of promises and their price tags, but didn't indicate how they would pay for them, what size of deficits they would run or for exactly how long.

The premier-designate said Friday that he planned to live up to his promises, including to repeal the Liberals' updated sex-ed curriculum.

"What we say we're going to do, we're going to do. We aren't going to flip-flop," he said. "We want to make sure over the next four years that our mandate gets fulfilled based on the people voting us in."

He declined, however, to discuss specifics when asked about the timing of that, as well as when and how he would scrap the Liberals' cap-and-trade program, or if he will introduce back-to-work legislation to end a months-long strike at York University in Toronto.

Ford also emphasized ties with the federal government Friday, saying he had spoken with Justin Trudeau and told the prime minister he stood with him in a trade dispute with the United States.

Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump have exchanged tough words after the U.S. imposed hefty tariffs on steel and aluminum from Canada, Mexico and Europe. Canada has countered with a plan to impose tariffs of its own on U.S. metals and other consumer goods.

Ford was asked what he thinks of how Trump is handling trade issues.

"I talked to the prime minister yesterday," he said. "I said we'll stand united against our neighbours to the south and I'm very sincere when I say that. United we stand as a country and I'll work hand in hand with the prime minister."

Meanwhile, Ford would not say if he will lower the legislature's threshold for official party status to accommodate the Liberals, who were decimated at the polls. The bar is currently eight seats. </s> Progressive Conservative leader Dennis King, accompanied by his wife Jana Hemphill, left, arrives to greet supporters after winning the Prince Edward Island provincial election in Charlottetown on April 23, 2019. (Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press)

Voters in Prince Edward Island Elect Tory Minority Amid Green Surge

CHARLOTTETOWN—Voters in P.E.I. have shed their century-old embrace of the Island’s two-party system, electing a Tory minority government and handing the upstart Green party official Opposition status for the first time.

With all polls reporting Tuesday, the Tories had won 12 seats, the Greens held eight, and the incumbent Liberals, led by Premier Wade MacLauchlan, had won six.

“Welcome to a new day in Prince Edward Island!” Tory Leader Dennis King told supporters, who immediately roared their approval. “Welcome to a new era of Island politics. Welcome to the tremendous honour and the tremendous responsibility of governing.”

Remarking on the strong showing by the Greens, King said it showed that Island voters want their political parties to work together.

“It shows that Prince Edward Island wants the parties to put partisanship behind them … to do what’s best for Prince Edward Island,” he told the crowd.

Afterwards, King, who won his riding of Brackley-Hunter River, admitted he was overwhelmed by his party’s victory.

“I’m equal parts excited and terrified,” he said. “This is a very surreal experience for me. I’ve come a long way, and the party has come a long way.”

The Tories finished with 37 per cent of the popular vote, followed by the Greens at 31 and the Liberals at 29. The NDP received just three per cent. Voter turnout was 77 per cent, a five-point drop from the 2015 election.

The tight three-way race produced the province’s first minority government since 1890.

The Greens had led in opinion polls since August, prompting speculation they could be poised to form Canada’s first Green government.

Still, their strong showing on election night was a major breakthrough for a party that did not hold a seat in the legislature until 2015. That’s when party Leader Peter Bevan-Baker won a seat in a general election—after nine unsuccessful runs for office on the Island and in Ontario.

“Islanders responded (to us) by granting us a record number of seats—by far the most seats ever by a Green party in Canada,” he told a boisterous crowd at the PEI Brewing Company in Charlottetown.

“I’m a strong believer in the capacity of minority government to create a collaborative environment.”

King, a 47-year-old former journalist and consultant, was elected to lead his party only two months ago. The Tories enjoyed a boost in the polls last month, leaving them in a virtual dead heat with the Greens and Liberals as the campaign began.

The Tory victory on the Island represents the latest in a series of gains for right-leaning parties, including wins in Alberta, Quebec, New Brunswick and Ontario—all within the last year.

Earlier this year, the Island’s Progressive Conservatives were largely regarded as a dysfunctional organization, having churned through no less than six leaders in the past eight years.

Despite past infighting within Tory ranks, King was lauded for running a solid campaign, mainly by reinforcing a relentlessly positive message—a tried-and-true tactic among Island politicians.

A former communications director for former Tory premier Pat Binns, King performed well on the hustings and in a series of decidedly polite leaders debates.

Among other things, King promised to expand beer and wine sales to convenience stores.

Access to family doctors emerged as a key issue in the campaign. All four parties talked about recruiting more physicians. According to Health PEI, there are 13,083 Islanders on the waiting list for a family doctor

The Greens’ rise in popularity generated a national buzz during an otherwise lacklustre campaign.

During the race, Bevan-Baker—a Scottish-born dentist—tried to persuade Islanders that the Greens care about more than just the environment, offering a platform that focused on a range of social issues, including a pledge to raise social assistance rates.

The 56-year-old Green leader won his riding of New Haven-Rocky Point.

The Liberals were seeking a fourth term in office, having repeatedly reminded Islanders that the province’s economy remains the strongest in the country.

MacLauchlan, 64, failed to win his seat.

“It’s simple: the tide turned. We’ve had four years of good government, responsible government and exceptionally good management of the province’s finances,” he told reporters.

“We left no stone unturned. We presented good policy. We presented a good team and we went and did the work that candidates do.”

It wouldn’t be a stretch to say P.E.I. is on a tear, posting impressive numbers for higher wages, employment, immigration, housing starts, exports, retail sales and tourism.

However, voters appeared reluctant to give MacLauchlan credit for boosting the economy, a sentiment that was reflected in his relatively low personal popularity ratings.

The Island’s New Democrats, led by 57-year-old Joe Byrne, were not in contention in any ridings.

When the legislature was dissolved, the Liberals held 16 seats in the 27-seat legislature, the Tories had eight and Greens had two seats. There was one Independent.

A total of 14 seats are needed for a majority, but only 26 of the 27 seats were contested Tuesday.

On Saturday, Elections P.E.I. postponed the vote in the district of Charlottetown-Hillsborough Park following the deaths of Green party candidate Josh Underhay and his young son in a boating mishap on the Hillsborough River.

Bevan-Baker began his address to supporters with an emotional tribute to Underhay. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt so overwhelmed by joy and grief simultaneously,” he said.

A byelection will be held in the riding within the next three months.

Aside from the election outcome, voters cast ballots in a referendum on electoral reform. Preliminary results suggested they had declined to endorse the switch to proportional representation, though the results were close. </s> The Ontario election 2018 results are in. After a long and all-too-dramatic campaign season, the votes have been counted and Doug Ford has emerged victorious.

Ford will be Ontario's next premier as the PC party cruised to a majority government. Early returns show the PC party winning 75 ridings, the NDP 40, The Liberal party six and the Green party one.

Any less than 8 ridings would cause the Liberal party to lose their official party status.

In a speech after the loss, outgoing premier Kathleen Wynne announced she will be stepping aside as party leader.

In his victory speech, Ford declared Ontario "open for business" and promised "an era of economic growth and prosperity the likes of which this province has never seen before."

The Progressive Conservative party leader, brother to late former Toronto mayor Rob Ford, only recently took the reigns of his party in the wake of a scandal involving former PC chief Patrick Brown.

Brown, who had been leading the party since 2005, stepped down in January amidst allegations of sexual conduct. He was subsequently expelled from the party by interim leader Vic Fedeli after trying (and failing) to get his old job back, twice.

Ford was named PC leader on March 10 after a short and chaotic race that started with an announcement from his mother's basement.

Since then, the 53-year-old Etobicoke native has established an impressive base of supporters, many of whom passionately defend our new Premier's populist political stylings.

Ford ran on a platform of lower taxes, more jobs, improved accountability, lower hydro rates and one dollar beers.

He also hired his own reporter to cover the campaign trail, routinely denied to speak with real journalists, had actors posing as supporters at a debate and got sued by his deceased brother's widow for $16.5 million last week.

Strategic voting campaigns in which electors were encouraged to cast their ballots for NDP candidates were shared widely online during this year's election.

The goal was to ensure that Ford didn't become Ontario's Premier. It didn't work. </s> The 2018 Ontario election is coming to a close as voters in the province will elect a new government after a tumultuous campaign between Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives, Andrea Horwath’s NDP, and Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals.

Polls will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET, with results expected to pour in shortly after. At least seven polling stations will remain open past originally scheduled closing times due to technical issues with voting machines, according to Elections Ontario.

Across all platforms, Global News is providing comprehensive coverage of the Ontario election on June 7. Find out how to watch, listen and read on Globalnews.ca.

The hotly contested race is expected to come down to either Ford’s PCs or Horwath’s NDP as Ontario appears ready for a significant change in government following the Liberals’ 15 years in power.

Wynne last weekend conceded she won’t be Ontario’s premier after Thursday’s election. The Liberal leader’s stunning admission, seen as a move to salvage at least a few seats for her party, came with an appeal to voters to prevent either of her NDP or Progressive Conservative rivals from achieving a majority.

Heading into Thursday’s vote, the latest polls and projections have predicted that the PCs could be set for a majority government, while Wynne’s Liberals could be reduced to less than eight seats and lose official party status. There are 124 ridings being contested this year, up from 107 in 2014, meaning 63 seats are required for a majority.

The three main party leaders were out voting Thursday in their ridings.

“Feeling really great. It’s a beautiful day to change Ontario,” Ford said on his way to cast his ballot in his Etobicoke riding. “I never take anything for granted. I’m going to continue working hard right up until the last minute.”

WATCH: Ontario PC Leader Doug Ford comes to vote in 2018 Ontario election

Wynne, who is in a battle to win her Toronto seat in Don Valley West, cast her ballot with partner Jane Rounthwaite.

Wynne made history in 2013, when she became the first openly LGBT premier in Canada and first woman premier of Ontario after replacing Dalton McGuinty as leader of the Ontario Liberal Party. She won a majority government in the 2014 election.

“Jane and I marked our ballots in Don Valley West this morning. I am very committed to continuing to serve as your MPP,” read a tweet from her account.

Meanwhile, Horwath thanked all NDP volunteers and candidates who worked on campaigns across the province and said this election was about change.

“I’m energized,” Horwath told reporters. “Today of course is the day where we bring it all home. And I’m really excited.”

“I’m running to premier of this province. I’m not interested in playing footsies with the other parties.”

WATCH: Horwath speaks with reporters just hours before polls close

Green Party leader Mike Schreiner could also be in for a historic night and become the first Green elected in Ontario.

The four-week campaign, has seen a number of dramatic swings and controversies as the party leaders travelled across the province appealing to voters.

The NDP began the campaign firmly in the third spot, but surged in the public opinion polls as Ford’s campaign stumbled. Ontario hasn’t elected an NDP government since former leader Bob Rae secured a surprise victory in 1990.

While there have been no shortage of controversies throughout the campaign, just days before the election, it revealed that the widow of Ford’s brother, former Toronto mayor Rob Ford, was suing the PC leader for more than $16 million.

The suit claims Ford mishandled the estate of his late brother, causing her and her children financial harm. Her suit also alleges Ford has mismanaged the family business, Deco Labels, destroying the value of the company. Ford has denied the allegations and vowed to fight them in court.

As the results roll in Thursday night, there will be several crucial ridings to watch. Global has compiled a list of the seven most important ridings that could determine a majority or minority government for each party.
Ontario Green Party has their first ever MPP elected. Mike Schreiner is elected in Guelph district in southwestern Ontario.