5 Responses for "SIMCOE-GREY"

1. smalltownguy September 14th, 2008 at 4:34 pm 1

   This riding has been Tory blue with a couple of exceptions since before those potato fields around Alliston were tilled. That said, this is potentially an upset. While incumbant Helena Guergis did very well in the last contest things have changed from the Beach to Schomberg.

   Local press has been filled with articles protraying Ms Guergis as unready for prime time. One of the main complaints is the Brenda Martin episode, but many in the riding were upset when she put personal promotion ahead of principle and took a cabinet seat in exchange for keeping quiet on the Emerson floor crossing which prior to the campaign she had vigourously opposed.

   The Green Party did quite well here and are quite well organized and are clearly seen as threat by all concerned.

   Since the NDP came forth in the provincial contest and this riding is not exactly a rabid unionist stronghold the none-of-the-above/protest vote is likely to go Green.

   On top of that the Liberals are not that well organized and almost took a pass in the last provincial contest. At the Simcoe Grey GPC EDA AGM today former Liberal candidate Steven Fishman was elected EDA president.

   Things are changing in Simcoe Grey. With an executive that is mostly right leaning small businesss people who will and can appeal to this small town farm oriented community Peter Ellis might be the surprise of the campaign.

2. Dave Hodson September 15th, 2008 at 6:51 am 2

   ’smalltownguy’, you must be deaming. “potentially an upset”? Helena will absolutely win this riding–any other outcome in Simcoe-Grey this election is simply inconceivable.

   By the way, you don’t have to go back as long as you suggest to find a Liberal who took this riding. Paul Bonwick did win it during the years of the divided right. But, I wouldn’t count on anybody but CPC winning here, short of some cataclysmic event. This place may be changing (as all places are), as you say, but it’s certainly not changing that much!

3. smalltownguy September 16th, 2008 at 7:03 am 3

   Bonwick was the couple of exceptions I was talking about. The truth is that you don’t have to go back far to where things such as this have happened. I’m reminded of when Reform went from having token member Deborah Grey to being the Official Opposition. Or how about Mario Dumont and ADQ dans la belle province.

   This one is not over. Conservatives I know are even speading rumours. Makes you wonder if they have had enough of the honourable Lady.

4. Larry Shaffer September 16th, 2008 at 3:03 pm 4

   Yet again the Liberals don’t have a strong candidate. The only reason Bonwick won was because of the vote sharing between the Conservatives and the Reform party. Guergis is one of the most useless MP’s ever. Just look at the job she did with the Brenda Martin file…

   If the people of Simcoe-Grey elect her again they are just as bad as she is….

   However when you look at the lineup of candidates can you blame them….Liberals most likely will come in 2nd or even 3rd and it will be a fight between the Liberals and Greens…The NDP is useless in this riding and they would have been better off not having a candidate.

5. Jonny October 12th, 2008 at 9:12 pm 5

   Wow, Christian Heritage Party has the opportunity to make some news on election night. Looks like they have a good base here. It would be a big deal if they get over 5% of the votes.