Tory nominee Greg Rickford's the new MPP for Kenora-Rainy River. He joins a landslide of PC members in a majority government under Doug Ford.
"It feels great!" he said, after viewing the results. "Public service is my passion."
Rickford has said the rising cost of living has been a decisive issue on the campaign trail, but he still wanted to balance fiscal responsibility with the need to provide services to those in need.
The former MP and federal cabinet minister becomes the first Tory to win a seat in the area since Leo Bernier in 1987.
Glen Archer of the NDP came second in the riding, ending a dynasty that dates back to 1987, when Howard Hampton first took the Rainy River seat.
"The biggest messages I heard -- and it was across the spectrum -- is that it was time for a change. The Liberals had 15 years," he said, as he absorbed the results last night.
They're followed by Liberal Karen Kejick, who was burdened by the legacy of the Wynne government in Toronto. As expected, the governing party is barely hanging on to party status.
Candidate's Name Party Votes Percentage
RICKFORD, GREG PC Party 9,693 48.38 % (2,190 margin of victory)
ARCHER, GLEN NDP/NPD 7,503 37.45 %
KEJICK, KAREN Liberal Party 2,118 10.57 %
MCKILLOP, EMBER Green Party 721 3.60 %
