By MATTHEW CYBULSKI

Staff Writer

On August 1 there will be five by-elections held in Ontario to determine new leadership
and influence. It is an opportunity for voters to express themselves and to let the Liberal
government led by Premier Kathleen Wynne know that it can do better and that the
Liberals will need to try harder if they are to recover the majority they lost in 2011.
The five by-elections are in the ridings of Toronto (ScarboroughGuildwood and
EtobicokeLakeshore), and the ridings of London West, WindsorTecumseh, and
Ottawa South. They were all held by Liberals, former finance minister Dwight Duncan
held Windsor-Tecumseh, education minister Laurel Broten held Etobicoke-Lakeshore,
former energy minister Chris Bentley was in London West and Dalton McGuinty held
Ottawa South. Even if the Liberals lose all five ridings in this by-election they still hold a
minority government.
The elections are widely seen as a test for relatively new Premier Kathleen Wynne and
for Conservative leader Tim Hudak. For Hudak, the election will be a way to see if he's
on the right track, mercilessly attacking the Liberals and refusing to prop up the Liberal
minority.
The 107 MPPs are currently distinguished as 48 Liberal members, 36 Progressive
Conservative members, 18 New Democratic Party members, and five vacant seats that
will be determined on August 1.
Many polls show that Kathleen Wynne should be worried, You know what, the poll is
on Aug. 1. Well see what the result is. We have very strong candidates in all of our
ridings in those by-elections and I look forward to the determination on Aug. 1, Wynne
said on Friday, according to the Toronto Star.
A forum research survey done by the Toronto Star demonstrates the sway in the polls.
In Ottawa, where former premier McGuinty sat for 23 years (and his father for three
years before that), Tory Matt Young led Liberal John Fraser 48 per cent to 34 per cent.
In Etobicoke-Lakeshore, Progressive Conservative candidate Doug Holyday, Toronto's
current deputy mayor, received 47 per cent support while Liberal Peter Milczyn, a city
councillor, held 40 per cent support. Scarborough-Guildwood's Liberal candidate, Mitzie
Hunter, leads Conservative Ken Krupa by six percentage points, with NDP Adam
Giambrone trailing behind. In London West, Liberal Ken Coran, a former teachers' union
head, trails Tory Ali Chabar and the NDP's Peggy Sattler in a bid to replace former
attorney general Chris Bentley, and in Windsor-Tecumseh, it is NDP candidate Percy
Hatfield (with 52 per cent support) leading Conservative Robert de Verteuil and Liberal
Jeewan Gill to replace former finance minister Dwight Duncan.
The Liberals won 53 of the provinces 107 seats in the last election, so they are in no
danger of losing control of the government.
Election day is August 1 and the polls will be open from 9 a.m. to 9p.m.
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