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Will Bouma is heading back to Queen’s Park for another term.

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Bouma was declared the MPP elect for Brantford-Brant less than 20 minutes after the provincial polls closed Thursday night to earn a third term in office.

“When the Premier (Doug Ford) called the election he said we needed a strong mandate to combat the tariffs that could be coming from the United States,” Bouma said after he was declared the winner. “The people of Brantford-Brant recognized the need to protect our economy, jobs and our community.

“They’ve given us the mandate we need.”

Speaking to supporters, Bouma said he is humbled to be chosen to represent the riding for a third term.

“I want to thank the people of Brantford-Brant for their confidence and their support,” Bouma said.

Bouma became emotional as he thanked his wife Joni and his children for their support.

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Although protecting the community as best as possible from the impact of tariffs that could be imposed as early as next week is important, Bouma also spoke about priorities for Brantford-Brant.

“We have four elementary schools underway right now as well as a new Catholic secondary school that needs to get built,” Bouma said. “Of course, what’s top of mind for everyone is a new hospital.

“The premier made a commitment to the community in September and I’m looking forward to seeing what that’s going to look like.”

During a visit to Brantford in September Ford announced more than $21 million in funding to repair major infrastructure problems at Brantford General Hospital. He also made reference to a planning grant that’s needed to take plans for a new hospital to the next stage of planning.

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With all 61 polls reporting, Bouma finished with 24,169 votes or 47.3 per cent of the 51,239 ballots cast. He was followed by Harvey Bischof of the NDP with 12.002 votes or 23.5 per cent of the ballots cast.

Ron Fox of the Liberals had 10,364  votes or 20.3 per cent of the ballots cast while Karleigh Csordas of the Greens had 2,567 or five per cent.

Bischof thanked the volunteers who worked on his campaign as well as voters who supported him.

“We ran a good, positive campaign,” Bischof said. “As for the results, I think they also show that there are thousands of people who need our voice and need our support.

“There are thousands of people who have been left behind who can’t afford housing and are having to make tough decisions.”

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Bischof said the NDP ran a campaign that provided real solutions to problems faced by thousands of Brantford-Brant residents.

Although he said it’s too early to commit to running a third time, Bischof said he will continue to be part of the fight to help those who have been forgotten and left behind.

Fox also thanked his supporters and those who worked on his campaign.

“I think we ran a good campaign and I think we laid a good foundation for future campaigns,” Fox said. “We increased the vote substantially and I think that will help us going forward.

“I’m grateful for the work of the campaign team and all of the volunteers who helped out.”

The Liberals in 2022 were represented by Ruby Toor who received; 6,083 votes.

The Fox campaign generated more than 10,000 votes.

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Fox thanked the federal Liberal riding association in Brantford-Brant for helping his campaign.

Csordas said the results of the election speak for themselves and show that there is a need to change how citizens are represented.

“Knocking on doors and talking to people it became pretty clear that they want change,” Csordas said. “But many people feel that they can’t really influence government and as a result don’t bother voting.

“I think we need a better way of voting for elected representatives to ensure that all voices are heard.”

Csordas said far too many voices are missing and people are being left behind under the current electoral system.

This was the third campaign for Csordas and she will sometime soon be embarking on a fourth.

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She has been approved as the Green Party candidate in Brantford-Brant for the next federal election.

“We’re just not sure when it’s going to be called,” Csordas said. “Some say it could be within a couple of weeks some say it could be longer.

“Either way, I’m ready to go.”

Meanwhile, Joshua Carron of the New Blue Party received 1,138 (2.2 per cent) in Thursday’s election, Rob Ferguson of the Libertarian Party received 500 votes (one per cent), Mike Clancy of the None of the Above Party received 316 votes (0.6 per cent) while James Carruthers of Ontario Alliance received 83 votes (0.2 per cent).

Bouma was first elected to the Ontario legislature in 2018 when he received 24,437 votes (42 per cent of the ballots cast)

In 2022, Bouma was returned to office with 20,738 votes while Harvey Bischof, of the NDP, finished second with 13,283 votes.

Vball@postmedia.com

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