By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator, Thursday August 1, 2013
Ontario byelections: Wynne faces 1st test as premier
Whatever the results of the five Ontario byelections today, Kathleen Wynne will remain premier and the Liberals will continue their minority rule.
But the five contests represent the first test for Wynne at the polls, and the first indication of how voters view the Liberals after the resignation of Dalton McGuinty as premier.
The post-McGuinty era has thus far been marred with revelations of the cost of cancelled gas plants in the Toronto area and the ensuing controversy. That issue has dominated many of the races in these byelections, but it is not the lone issue on voters’ minds.
The very first issue in the byelections was their timing. Wynne chose a late-summer voting date for all five byelections, even when she could have delayed some into the fall.
The Aug. 1 poll day also falls on the Thursday before a long weekend for many Ontarians.
With slowed summer schedules and vacations for many, pundits predict a low voter turnout.
Both opposition parties were critical of the choice of date.
“We know that on the long weekend, when most families across Ontario are prepared to take that extra day to spend with their family, Ms. Wynne has decided that she would like to subvert democracy,” said Progressive Conservative Lisa MacLeod.
“This is the same old kind of thing that we expect from the Liberals, when they arrange things so that they’re most opportunistic for themselves,” said Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath. (Source: CBC News)