The Ontario NDP want to re-take the riding of Essex.
“We want to change Essex from blue, back to orange,” said party leader Marit Stiles.
She made a stop at the Beerded Dog Brewing Co. in Harrow last Thursday night to endorse local candidate Rachael Mills.
The 2022 election saw NDP Ron LeClair get 13,703 votes behind winner PC Anthony Leardi, who is seeking a second term, with 24,926.
NDP Taras Natyshak held the provincial office from 2011 to 2022. The three-term Natyshak was in full-support of Mills on Wednesday as was former Essex MP Tracy Ramsey.
“What we are up against is no easy task,” Mills told a large and boisterous room full of supporters.
Mills, 31, grew up in LaSalle and recently moved to Harrow where she lives with her partner. She is a talent acquisition specialist and has never run for political office.
“I am not coming from a place of popularity and having myself out there,” Mills told the River Town Times earlier in the week.
What she does bring to the campaign is a strong sense of responsibility and commitment to making Essex County a better place to live. Mills lists housing, affordability and health care as some of the key issues.
“My passions and concerns have led me right to this.”
A strong advocate for the environment, Mills worked the room full of supporters Wednesday night like a seasoned veteran and had the full support of not only the local NDP but Stiles as well.
Introducing Stiles as the next Premier of Ontario, Mills said, “with her we can build a better Ontario but it’s going to take us rolling up our sleeves and fighting for the future.”
Last Wednesday PC Premier Doug Ford was in Windsor to officially kick off the election, which now is less than a month away.
“He thought he could put this over and people weren’t going to show up, that people are going to roll over,” said Stiles. “I think he’s wrong.”
Stiles was first elected in 2018 and took over the NDP leadership from Andrea Horwath in 2023. She represents the riding of Davenport and is a former Toronto District School Board Trustee. The NDP are the official opposition now, currently holding 28 of the 124 seats in the provincial legislature.
And for Mills on her first campaign trail, she seems confident in knowing what it will take to regain the Essex seat.
“We have to knock on doors this election. Tell your neighbours and connect. This election is about building a stronger Ontario where no one is left behind.”
NDP leader Stiles stops in Harrow to support Mills
By Fred Groves
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