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Wilson handily wins re-election as MPP for Simcoe-Grey

June 14, 2018   ·   0 Comments

By Brock Weir

Incumbent Progressive Conservative MPP Jim Wilson handily secured a re-election victory on Thursday night, capturing 55.93 per cent of the vote.

Mr. Wilson came out on top by a wide margin of 20,650 votes over second place finisher David Matthews of the Ontario NDP, securing the right to be the voice of Simcoe-Grey for the next four years in a majority Progressive Conservative government.

Overall, 34,094 ballots were cast in Mr. Wilson’s favour, while Mr. Matthews secured 22.06 per cent of the vote, or 13,444 votes overall.

Liberal candidate Dan Hambly was third with 14.39 per cent of the vote, or 8,711 ballots, while Jessica Perry of the Green Party received 6.88 per cent of the vote (4,192) and Libertarian John Wright rounded off the list with 0.74 per cent (453).

Overall voter turnout across the riding was 58.5 per cent – or 60,954 out of 104,117 registered electors.

Mr. Wilson has served in the Ontario Legislature for nearly 30 years, first being elected MPP for the former Provincial riding of Simcoe West, before that particular district became part of Simcoe-Grey in 1999, a riding he has held ever since.

Over the course of the 2018 campaign, Mr. Wilson was a particularly vocal proponent of further support for Stevenson Memorial Hospital, as well as health care and hospice facilities here and in Collingwood.

Indeed, Mr. Wilson identified securing full planning grants to pave the way for the redevelopment of the Alliston and Collingwood hospitals as his “number one priority.”

“Half a million doesn’t go very far when the total cost is $14 million,” said Mr. Wilson of the previous Liberal government’s announcement it would give each hospital $500k for planning costs. “Everybody should also know the cheques have not been delivered to either hospital yet. The hospitals are using their own money to fund these planning costs. That is money that should be used for frontline services. I will do my very best to secure the $14 million planning grant each hospital needs to get through the five-stage planning process if I am re-elected. I believe I am the candidate best positioned to deliver this commitment. I am not going to quit until these two hospitals are built and the future of health care in the riding is secured.

“The government has $19 billion available for hospital capital/construction and that is the same amount of money that will be available under a Doug Ford government. Simcoe-Grey deserves its fair share of provincial health spending.”

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