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Local Tories hoping Doug Ford will make an appearance in Guelph

NDP also hopes to have Andrea Horvath make a stop in town
Doug Ford 2
Ontario PC leader Doug Ford makes a stop in Thunder Bay. File photo

With just over three weeks to go before the provincial election, campaign managers for the local NDP and Ontario PC candidates are hopeful their respective party leaders will come to Guelph and support their campaigns.

Doug Ford has not been to Guelph since he won the Ontario PC leadership in March. He also did not campaign in Guelph while vying for that leadership contest, although rivals Caroline Mulroney and Christine Elliott did.

Bob Coole, who is campaign manager for local Ontario PC candidate Ray Ferraro, said he is working on having Ford appear in Guelph prior to the June 7 election.

“For some reason, none of these leaders think Guelph is that important,” said Coole. “Everybody thinks it’s been Liberal for 12 years and they are thinking the same thing again.”

Coole hopes to bend Ford’s ear Thursday evening during a Ontario PC rally in Kitchener. Ford last appeared in Kitchener on April 27, but has not yet made the trip to Guelph.

Ferraro will be appearing at the Kitchener rally as well, said Coole.

NDP leader Andrea Horwath has also been campaigning in neighbouring cities, but has not appeared in Guelph since the April 23 local nomination meeting. Horwath held a health care town hall meeting to an overflow crowd in Kitchener on Wednesday.

Sarah Manns is campaign manager to Aggie Mlynarz, NDP candidate for Guelph. Manns hopes to host Horwath at a rally in the near future, but there is no confirmed date as of yet.

“It’s still a very eager request from the campaign office, so we will see what central does with that. We do expect to see her back in Guelph before the end,” said Manns.

On Tuesday, Mlynarz joined area NDP candidates in Kitchener for the unveiling of the party’s Southwestern Ontario Platform.

Liberal leader Kathleen Wynne was greeted by protesters when she appeared in Guelph on Tuesday in support of local candidate Sly Castaldi.

Castaldi’s campaign manager, Emily Hartman, said it was great having the Liberal leader in the riding.

“Sly is obviously a very big fan of hers, having decided to run under the Kathleen Wynne Liberal banner,” said Hartman.

Liz Sandals, who has been representing Guelph as MPP since 2003, has been acting as mentor to Castaldi.

“(Sandals) has been introducing Sly to the community. A lot of people were surprised to see that Liz was retiring — she has been an MPP for a very long time,” said Hartman.

As the party leader, Mike Schreiner of the Green Party of Ontario is sharing his time between making appearances and supporting candidates across Ontario, while also standing as the candidate for Guelph.

On Monday, Schreiner made a housing announcement with the Green candidate in Etobikcoke North — the very same riding Ford is hoping to clinch. 

Sean Yo, campaign manager for Schreiner, said being party leader comes with important responsibilities.

“He’s doing a really good job making sure we are supporting the provincial campaign, while making sure he’s out pretty much every day knocking on doors here in Guelph,” said Yo.

On Wednesday, Schreiner was back to campaign activities in Guelph before going back to Toronto for a debate on Accessibility and Disability Issues at Ryerson Student Centre.

At 6 p.m. on Tuesday, the Guelph Chamber of Commerce will host the local Green, Liberal, NDP and PC candidates for a debate in council chambers at Guelph City Hall.

Coole believe’s the race in Guelph is tighter than many people assume.

“Right now it’s a four-way race, no matter how you look at it,” said Coole.


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Kenneth Armstrong

About the Author: Kenneth Armstrong

Kenneth Armstrong is a news reporter and photojournalist who regularly covers municipal government, business and politics and photographs events, sports and features.
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