11 | durhamregion.com | This Week | Thursday, May 19, 2022 | Whitby riding is like Canada -- federally Liberal and provincially Conservative. The riding covers all of Whitby. The race: Progressive Conservative candidate Lorne Coe is looking to hold on to the seat he has had since 2014. Going up against him are a series of newcomers to politics. Aadil Mohammed is running for the Liberal party. Sara Labelle, a medical laboratory technologist, is running for the New Democratic Party. Trystan Lackner is new to politics and so is his party, the New Blue Party of Ontario. Stephanie Leblanc is running for the Green Party, while Emil Labaj is carrying the flag for the new Ontario Party. Christopher Rinella is running as an Independent. The issues: Coe said, "The PCs will continue to rebuild Ontario's economy, including by saving thousands of jobs through investing in GM Oshawa and extending the safe operation of the Pickering nuclear facility until at least 2025." He pointed to the removal of tolls on Hwy. 412, which runs through Whitby, and Hwy. 418 as something residents have wanted. "We will never stop working for workers, including by encouraging apprenticeships, opening up jobs in the skilled trades and increasing the minimum wage," Coe said. More nurses will be hired and additional supports for seniors will allow them to stay in their homes longer, he added. Labelle said, "I have heard from residents that are worried about the state of our public services. There is no reason that ... Whitby should continue to rely on inadequate, overburdened hospital services in other towns. "I have seen these issues go from bad to worse. We need long-term care that provides dignified, safe, excellent care for our aging parents and grandparents. We need home care that is there when people need it -- with enough nurses, personal support workers and health professionals so that care shows up .... the NDP can make it happen," she added. Mohammed said the importance of improving transit, strengthening health care, inclusive and equitable quality education, and increasing access to affordable and sustainable housing are issues he's focusing on. Lackner said, "My vision is to help communities, including Whitby, grow by engaging youth, small businesses, and neighbourhoods to design their own brighter futures." David Sheinin, a history professor at Trent University and political commentator, said, "This is an election for the Progressive Conservatives to lose; they're in the driver's seat right now." He expects inflation, the economy and housing to be the issues that dominate election discussion -- both in Durham and across Ontario. In Whitby riding, Sheinin said the Progressive Conservatives are polling at 40.8 per cent, adding, "it looks like an easy win if current trends hold." "Liberals haven't resonated enough with voters to take them over the top, since again people are worried about a split vote on the left or centre left," Sheinin added. Background: Whitby hasn't always been federally and provincially split, but that's been the case for the last few election cycles. The riding has been Liberal federally since 2015, when Celina Caesar-Chavannes defeated the incumbent Pat Perkins, a Conservative. It's remained in Liberal hands in the past two elections since then. Conservative Jim Flaherty, who died in April 2014, held the seat, as did Judi Longfield, a Liberal, before being defeated by Flaherty in 2006. It's been a Progressive Conservative bastion provincially for years, with Coe winning the riding in a byelection in 2014 and keeping hold of it ever since. Before Coe, Christine Elliott, Flaherty's widow, held the riding of Whitby-Oshawa. WHITBY RIDING OFFERS CONTRAST FEDERALLY AND PROVINCIALLY KEITH GILLIGAN kgilligan@durhamregion.com 'This is an election for the Progressive Conservatives to lose; they're in the driver's seat right now.' David Sheinin Lorne Coe is appealing to voters to return him to Queen's Park as the Progressive Conservative MPP for Whitby Riding. NAME: Lorne Coe RIDING: Whitby PARTY: Progressive Conservative Party OCCUPATION: MPP IF ELECTED, I PLEDGE TO: "If re-elected, I'll continue to work hard and deliver for the people of Whitby. We're removing tolls on Highway 412 and 418 to help fight gridlock and provide relief for drivers in Durham. We've brought major health care investments to the region. I'll continue to get it done." Sara Labelle is making her first foray into politics, having been nominated to run for the Ontario New Democratic Party in Whitby Riding. NAME: Sara Labelle RIDING: Whitby Riding PARTY: Ontario New Democratic Party OCCUPATION: Medical laboratory technologist IF ELECTED, I'D PLEDGE TO: "Whitby is a beautiful community with a rich history and deserves a strong advocate at the Ontario Legislature. I can be that voice. The cost of living just keeps rising, and our healthcare and senior care systems are broken. The Liberals and Ford Conservatives have been breaking the things that matter most. Andrea Horwath and the NDP can fix it." Not only is Trystan Lackner new to politics, his party is making its appearance on the ballots. NAME: Trystan Lackner RIDING: Whitby PARTY: New Blue Party of Ontario OCCUPATION: Honours bachelor's degree in international development studies from the University of Toronto, 2020. A carpenter's assistant and a member of the Red Cross Disaster Relief Team IF ELECTED, I PLEDGE TO: "As someone who is just stepping into politics, I see the frustration from people who have watched lifelong politicians do the same old thing, with no real results. My vision is to help communities, including Whitby, grow by engaging youth, small businesses and neighbourhoods to design their own brighter futures." MEET THE CANDIDATES IN WHITBY RIDING PROVINCIAL ELECTION LORNE COE Progressive Conservative Party photo SARA LABELLE Sara Labelle photo TRYSTAN LACKNER Trystan Lackner photo