Laurie Scott scored another landslide victory for the Progressive Conservatives in Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock (HKLB) in the Feb. 27 provincial election, receiving 51.9 per cent of the riding’s vote to earn a seventh term in office.
The local race was one of the first to be declared by CBC, with Scott holding a commanding lead over rivals Alison Bennie of the Ontario Liberal Party and NDP Barbara Doyle, who finished a distant second and third.
Scott’s margin of victory was 14,818 votes according to Elections Ontario, with all polls reported as of 10:58 p.m. She earned 26,506 total votes, with Bennie coming second with 11,688 (22.91 per cent); Doyle third with 6,993 (13.7 per cent) and Haliburton’s Tom Regina, standing for the Greens, finishing fourth with 2,602 votes (5.1 per cent).
Among fringe candidates, Jacquie Barker (New Blue Party) scored 1,223 votes; Brian Kerr (Ontario Party) 926 votes; Gene Balfour (Independent) 426 votes; Zachary Tisdale (Libertarian) 385 votes; and Bill Denby (Freedom Party) 278 votes.
Voter turnout in the riding was pegged at 48.91 per cent, up marginally from 48.14 per cent in 2022, with 51,027 of 104,325 registered electors casting a ballot.
Celebrating with supporters in Lindsay on Thursday night, Scott said she was proud to once again be chosen to represent the area at Queen’s Park.
“Always very happy to apply for the job and get the results. I love representing my riding,” Scott said, noting she prioritized spending her time knocking on doors and chatting with people face-to-face across the region over attending debates organized by YourTV, Minden Matters, and the Lindsay and District Chamber of Commerce.
SUB: County issues
With basic living costs spiralling in recent years, and the threat of tariffs and counter tariffs with the U.S. looming – likely making things worse – Scott was asked what she would do to make life more affordable for people in Haliburton County, long recognized as one of the poorest regions in Ontario.
“The provincial government has given lots of tax cuts to low-income earners and made different increases to things like ODSP… we cut and give back what we can, like the 10 cents per litre in the gas tax,” she said.
In 2022, the province temporarily reduced the gas tax rate by 5.7 cents per litre, and the diesel tax rate by 5.3 cents per litre. The move was extended to June 30 of this year last October. Since July 2023, people living on ODSP have had their rates increased 11 per cent.
After touting a major focus on affordable housing development in the County following her 2022 election win, Scott claims she followed through on that promise after a Jan. 28 announcement that Minden will receive $2.4 million to bolster the local rental supply.
That build will be headed up by the Kawartha Lakes Haliburton Housing Corporation, Scott said, though she offered no timelines for when the money will be paid out or when shovels will hit the ground.
With Haliburton Highlands Health Services recently unveiling plans for a 98-unit $49 million expansion to Hyland Crest long-term care home in Minden, Scott indicated she was supportive of the proposal
“I like to see the progression – it would mean more beds. I’ve been talking with [HHHS CEO] Veronica Nelson, the ministry is involved to look at that whole bigger picture of evolution of LTC in the County… we’ve been looking at that for a while,” Scott said, noting she’s also had recent discussions with Extendicare over their future build in the County.
The province announced a $41 million investment with the for-profit care provider in February 2022 for a new 128-bed facility.
“They’ve chosen to build Peterborough first. They tell me Haliburton is next… I think they want to be assured of staffing. There’s a lot of issues they’re looking at,” she said. “Not exactly a date [for start-up], but very soon. It’s still in the future; their plan is to build there.”
In January, Extendicare told The Highlander it has yet to determine a location for the new facility.
Scott said she expected the Eastern Ontario Regional Network Cell Gap project to wrap this year, improving cell service for all County residents, while saying she’s been working with representatives from Bell to bolster broadband services across the region.
SUB: Other candidates respond
Liberal candidate Bennie said she is “the happiest loser in Ontario” after coming in a surprise second-place in HKLB.
“I really am speechless… I said if I got over 1,000 votes that I’d be happy,” Bennie said. “One of the reasons I ran was because I didn’t want to see the party go downhill to nothing in this riding. I spoke to a lot of people and provided a different choice – I’m not your standard, polished person. I’m more ‘let’s get together and work this out’, bit of an underdog, and I think that resonated with people.”
Doyle, a repeat runner for the NDPs after finishing second in 2022, was a distant third. Speaking to The Highlander an hour before polls closed, she said she had a good feeling after a month on the campaign trail.
“The day-to-day affordability was really what people were talking about… things felt different than 2022. So many people told me they’re voting NDP for the first time ever,” Doyle said.
County resident Regina, representing the Greens, took home a lesser split of the vote this time around, down from seven per cent in 2022, but finished in fourth place – ahead of New Blue candidate Jacquie Brown.
Speaking after results were confirmed, he said it was a “forgone conclusion” Scott would reclaim her seat though was surprised by a strong Liberal performance.
In what was his second Ontario election, Regina said he was unsure if he would run again in future.
“I can’t look much past tomorrow, let alone three or four years down the road,” he said.
