Premier Doug Ford has announced the date for three provincial byelections.
Voters in Scarborough Southwest, York-Simcoe and Hamilton East-Stoney Creek will go to the polls on Sept. 3.
Businessman Ahsanul Hafiz defeated former MP Nate Erskine-Smith by 19 votes in a hotly contested race for the Liberal nomination back in May .
Erskine-Smith, who represented the neighbouring federal riding of Beaches-East York, was hoping to win the provincial byelection in order to secure a seat in the legislature ahead of a likely bid for the Ontario Liberal leadership. He has since scrapped those plans.
The Ontario PCs have named Dr. Noor Tarun as their candidate while Fatima Shaban will look to keep the seat in the NDP’s hands. The Green Party have nominated Mark Bekkering as their candidate.
A byelection became necessary after Doly Begum, who had held the riding for the NDP since 2018, vacated the seat in February in order to run as a Liberal candidate in the same federal riding. In that election, she defeated Shaban.
The Conservatives will look to keep the seats vacated in York-Simcoe by Caroline Mulroney and in Hamilton East-Stoney Creek, which had been represented by Neil Lumsden.
Jeff Beattie has been named as the PC candidate in Hamilton East-Stoney Creek, while the Green Party have named Pascale Marchand as their candidate. The Liberals have named Heino Doessing, who ran against Lumsden in the last provincial election, as their candidate.
Small business owner Susan Lahey will carry the PC colours in York-Simcoe while York Region councillor Naomi Davison is running for the Liberals. Businessman Matt Pearce is the Liberal nominee while the NDP have yet to announce who will be running for them.
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