#munipoli Matters - ISSUE 25
A former small town Ontario mayor joins Patrick Brown as being the second Conservative leadership contender with a municipal background
Welcome to another issue of #munipoli Matters, where we discuss all about municipal elections and the often unreported area of local government across Canada and beyond.
Former Huntsville mayor to seek Tory leadership
While one Canadian big city mayor is seeking the top job in the federal Conservative Party, another mayor (at least a former one) from Ontario is now also running. Scott Aitchison, the MP for Parry Sound-Muskoka, announced on March 20 in Huntsville that he is running to be the party’s next federal leader.
Aitchison was first elected as a councillor at age 21 in 1994, and served as Huntsville’s mayor from 2014 to 2019 prior to getting elected federally in the 2019 election. In his campaign launch in Huntsville, the former mayor spoke of bringing the party together and gave off almost a Clinton-esque glow of political optimism.
Strangely enough, Aitchison somewhat resembles the former U.S president.
He joins Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown, former Quebec premier Jean Charest, Independent and former Ontario PC MPP Roman Baber, Ontario MPs Pierre Poilievre and Leslyn Lewis, BC MP Mark Dalton as well as former MP Leona Alleslev (who used to be a Liberal) in the September 10 vote to select the new leader of the Conservatives.
Is Hamilton experiencing Groundhog Day again?
Speculation continues to abound whether incumbent mayor Fred Eisenberger, currently in his third term as mayor of the Steel City, will seek reelection or not. However, some big names are not waiting on him to make up his mind; former mayor Bob Bratina, who served a stint as Liberal MP for Hamilton East-Stoney Creek, has announced he wants his old job back.
A former radio broadcaster, Bratina was first elected as a councillor in 2004 and served as mayor from 2010 to 2014. Another candidate, former Hamilton Chamber of Commerce head Keenan Loomis, already made the announcement of his mayoral intentions. And of course, Eisenberger himself hasn’t ruled out another run.
Eisenberger assumed his mayoral duties first in 2006, ousting then incumbent Larry Di Ianni, and ended up being beaten himself in 2010 by Bratina. When Bratina left office in 2014 to prepare for his federal run, Eisenberger ran for mayor again and regained his job, and was subsequently reelected in 2018 for a third term.
Once a supporter of Hamilton’s LRT network, Bratina declined to run again for MP in 2021 objecting to his own federal Liberal government opting to completely fund the LRT, with the city only incurring future operating costs. But it’s quite clear the LRT debate has been decided; Eisenberge was reelected in 2018 with 54% of the vote over a very vocal ant-LRT candidate.
Hamilton seems to be caught in some perpetual time loop whereby only two Caucasian males can ever become the mayor on a rotating basis. Aside from Loomis, where are the diverse voices that can bring fresh ideas to City Hall?
Brampton NDP MPP faces nomination challenge from former Caledon candidate
In one of the rare instances in provincial politics, a sitting MPP from the New Democratic Party is facing a challenge to once again seek reelection under his party’s banner in the upcoming June election.
Brampton North MPP Kevin Yarde, a former weatherman elected as an NDP MPP in 2018, is facing a nomination challenge on the April 7 virtual nomination meeting from immigration consultant Sandeep Singh, who previously ran for local councillor in Caledon’s Ward 2 during the 2018 municipal elections.
The Liberals are running former MPP Harinder Malhi again, having come in third place in Brampton North four years ago. Meanwhile, the Progressive Conservatives are fielding Graham McGregor, a former staffer from various Ontario provincial ministries.
Yarde’s challenge comes on the heels of several NDP incumbents announcing they are not running again, as well as veteran incumbent Paul Miller’s ouster as the party’s candidate from Hamilton East-Stoney Creek after revelations he joined an Islamophobic Facebook group.
From the last four years observing Brampton politics, such as numerous press conferences when NDP leader Andrea Horwath comes to town, Yarde seemed always in the background and piggybacking on more vocal incumbents Sara and Gurratan Singh (no relation). With such a low profile, I’m not surprised the Brampton North MPP is facing a challenge from within his own party for his job.
Mayoral and council election updates
Cumberland, BC: Current councillor Vickey Brown from this tiny village on Vancouver Island announces she is running for mayor.
Saanich, BC: Former Saanich councillor Dean Murdock is running for mayor, as is incumbent Fred Haynes who stated he intends to seek reelection this fall.
Toronto, ON: In the so-called “centre of the universe”, one Jonathan (goes by John) Tory of Toronto confirmed that, despite past indications, he is indeed seeking a third term as Toronto’s Mayor.
Meanwhile, veteran Councillor Michael Thompson (Scarborough Centre) also confirmed he is seeking reelection; Thompson was widely seen as a potential mayoral contender should Tory have declined seeking another term.
Hamilton, ON: Just as a former mayor is looking to get his old job back, a current city councillor is bowing out: Ward 15 incumbent Judi Partridge (Waterdown) announced she is not running for reelection. Partridge was first elected in 2010 and reelected in 2014 and 2018, squeezing in a provincial run as a Liberal in 2018 in-between, even though she was a vocal opponent of the LRT, which was championed by the party she ran for.
A “lame duck” city council?
Partridge is the fourth incumbent in Hamilton announcing they are not running again in the October election. This development may actually hinder Hamilton City Council’s ability to function. Under Section 375 of Ontario’s Municipal Act, if less than three quarters of incumbent councillors seek reelection, or not get reelected, the current term of council would have restrictions on their decision making.
According to local journalist Joey Coleman, this would effectively make Hamilton have a “lame duck” council if one more councillor says they’re not running again. City Council would therefore not be able to approve spending more than $50,000 or create a liability for the municipality greater than $50,000. City staff are already preparing for this possibility.
If you like what you read, please give a follow by subscribing to get more #munipoli news sent directly to your inbox.