London will remain an island of orange in a sea of blue on the provincial electoral map after Thursday’s general election.
While Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives cruised to a third straight majority, all four London ridings went unchanged. London West, London Fanshawe, and London North Centre will remain in the NDP fold, while Tory Rob Flack kept his seat in Elgin Middlesex London. The former agriculture minister in the previous Ford government racked up 28,719 votes, or 55.8 per cent of the votes tallied.
“We have an existential threat with Donald Trump. He is attacking our province and our country. We need a strong mandate, stable, majority government to make sure that in the next four years we mirror image his administration, and we will continue to represent and fight and continue to protect Ontario,” Flack told reporters.
Flack also pledged to protect the Volkswagen PowerCo battery plant now under construction in St. Thomas from economic threats by U.S. President Trump.
“It’s going to be three-thousand jobs, 30-thousand tertiary jobs throughout the province. The key part is that we’re going to continue to support Volkswagen PowerCo to make sure that that project goes ahead. It’s going to get done. But most importantly, we’re going to support it, and Canada’s going to support it,” Flack said.
New Democrat Terence Kernaghan was re-elected in London North Centre with 22,587 votes and 46.7 per cent of the votes cast.
“Thank you,” Kernaghan told a crowd of supporters. “For those of you who didn’t vote for me, I’m just really glad you got out to the polls. And for those people that didn’t vote I want to let everyone know that I’m here to represent every single voice in London North Centre to bring your concerns forward, to fight for what you need, and make sure that Doug Ford will listen to his conscience.”
In London Fanshawe, New Democrat Teresa Armstrong was re-elected with 18,749 votes, making up 47.6 per cent of the vote. She told CTV News she’d like to continue as NDP Critic for Childcare and Affordability and Pensions.
“Childcare’s an affordability piece for many families. Pensions are an affordability piece for many seniors. Those two areas really speak to what I had heard on the door. And I’d love to go back to Queens Park and hold the government accountable,” Armstrong said.
Also re-elected was New Democrat Peggy Sattler who racked up 26,589 votes in London West, representing 49.2 per cent of the votes cast.
“And I am committed to working as hard as I can for the people of London West to make their lives better,” Sattler told supporters.
