Sarah Thomson will run provincially

She’s accepted Liberal’s invite to be candidate
The Trinity-Spadina riding association to hold nomination meeting
Kris Scheuer

Sarah Thomson has accepted Liberal invite to run as their provincial candidate in Trinity-Spadina. Nomination meeting yet to be held. Photo courtesy of Sarah Thomson.

Former mayoralty candidate Sarah Thomson confirmed to me today she’s accepted the provincial Liberals invite to run for them in the Toronto riding of Trinity-Spadina.
When I reached her on Monday she would not say, but did announce her intentions on her Facebook  page yesterday so now she is more open about her plans.
She is taking on NDP provincial rep Rosario Marchese who was first elected in Trinity-Spadina in 1990 and has been in that seat ever since.
I will report back for the Town Crier on March 10 and will post a full story on this blog as soon as that story is edited.

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Willowdale MPP David Zimmer seeks re-election

Tories set sights on Willowdale riding
But Liberal Zimmer vows to defend his seat
Kris Scheuer
(Written for Town Crier March 3)

Liberal MPP David Zimmer seeks a third term in Willowdale. Photo courtesy of David Zimmer.

Liberal MPP David Zimmer knows the Progressive Conservatives have set their sights on Willowdale, but he’s ready to fight to keep his seat in the upcoming provincial election.
He first came to power in 2003 beating then PC incumbent David Young.
“All the pundits, polls, newspapers and blogs in 2003 (stated) the conventional wisdom was Conservatives would lose all seats in 416 except Willowdale,” recalls Zimmer.
The commentators were mostly correct as the PCs lost all their Toronto seats including Willowdale.
“David Young was a good candidate, a lawyer. I know him and we had a good campaign,” said Zimmer, also a lawyer by trade. “I won by 2,000 votes.”
Fast forward to the 2007 provincial race and then PC leader John Tory looked closely at running in Willowdale against Zimmer but settled on Don Valley West where he eventually lost to Kathleen Wynne. The PCs ran Willowdale Councillor David Shiner as a star candidate, but Zimmer held on, beating Shiner by almost 6,000 votes.
“This year the Tories are anxious to try and get Willowdale,” Zimmer said.

MPP Monte Kwinter seeks 8th term

Oldest member of provincial parliament runs again
Kris Scheuer
(Written March 3 for Town Crier)

Liberal Monte Kwinter, first elected in 1985, is running again in the provincial election. Image courtesy of Monte Kwinter.

Liberal MPP Monte Kwinter is running for an eighth term this fall.
He has represented Toronto’s North York at Queeen’s Park since 1985 and was officially nominated by the Liberals on March 1.
“My reasons for running now is the same as in 1985 – to make a difference and help people,” said Kwinter, rep for York-Centre.
Over the last 25 years, he’s held five different portfolios and is currently the parlimentary assistant to the Minister of Economic Development and Trade.
“We are a very heavily trade dependent jurisdiction. We have to export to the world,” he said. “Ninety percent of our trade is to the U.S. They are going through difficult times right now. We are looking at other areas to trade with China, India, Brazil and Russia.”
He is also quite pleased that his government is opening a new accute care centre in his riding near Keele Street and Wilson Avenue.
The hospital will serve 600,000 people in the surrounding area and is in the design stage after three years of planning. He expects to see a shovel in the ground this later year and for the hospital to take two years to build.

Kathleen Wynne seeks re-election

The Don Valley W provincial rep nominated by Liberals
Her opponents are unknown, so far
Kris Scheuer
(Written for Town Crier Feb. 17)

MPP Kathleen Wynne. Town Crier file photo.

Don Valley West MPP Kathleen Wynne is hoping for a three-peat when she runs in the provincial election this fall.
It may be early in the game, but as of mid-February, her chances looked pretty good: the Progressive Conservatives, Greens and New Democrats have not officially nominated candidates in Don Valley West.
“I don’t know who my competition will be yet,” said Wynne, who is also currently transportation minister. “I never take for granted I will be re-elected.”
Wynne is ahead of the game as the Liberals officially nominated her as their candidate in Don Valley West on Jan. 30. About 200 supporters were in attendance at her nomination party.

Josh Colle ready to get to work

New councillor for Ward 15 will work closely with dad, MPP Mike Colle
Kris Scheuer
(Written for Town Crier Nov. 18)

Eglinton-Lawrence Councillor Josh Colle.

When he’s sworn in as the new councillor for Ward 15 Eglinton-Lawrence on Dec. 1, Josh Colle will be working closely with his provincial counterpart  — who just happens to be his father, MPP Mike Colle.
“We’ve already had some meetings that are constituency-driven,” Colle said in a recent interview following his election win.
“I don’t always agree with him. You probably don’t always agree with your parents. But it’s good to know there will be a collaborative relationship there.”
Part of the ward boundary includes sections of St. Paul’s provincially and federally so Colle’s also spoken or met with those political reps in the weeks since the election.
Colle the younger is also busy attending community meetings to get up to speed on ward issues.
But he’s looking forward to rolling up his sleeves and getting to work at city hall. And there’s no reason the 45-member council can’t work collaboratively, he said.
“I get that it’s politics with inherent drama and conflict that goes along with it,” he said. “But it’s the responsibility of the mayor and council to do that (work collaboratively).”

George Smitherman runs for mayor

Smitherman a 2010 candidate for Toronto mayor
Former Liberal MPP officially registers in city election
By Kris Scheuer
(Written for Town Crier Jan eight.)

George Smitherman registered as a Toronto mayoralty candidate Jan. 8. Photo by Francis Crescia/Town Crier.

It’s official. After months of talking about it George Smitherman has registered as a candidate for mayor of Toronto at 10:30 a.m. this morning.
“A vote for my campaign is a vote for a city that works,” Smitherman said at a press conference following his registration.
“I’m going to bring new energy and new direction and leadership to the challenges that confront Toronto.”“We have a lot of work to do to restore opportunities for jobs for people in our city,” said Smitherman.

Marilyn Churley appointed as a JP

Former Toronto politician now a Justice of the Peace
Churley will work at Ontario Court of Justice in the Toronto Region
By Kris Scheuer
(Originally written Oct. 15 for Town Crier.)

Former east end politician Marilyn Churley is now a justice of the peace in Toronto.
Her Worship Churley confirmed to the Town Crier that Attorney General Chris Bentley appointed her as a full-time JP on Oct. 2. She said she’s not permitted to do media interviews in her new role on the bench, which started on Oct. 14.
Churley was an MPP for Toronto-Danforth for the Ontario New Democrats for 15 years, and prior to that a city councillor. She also ran unsuccessfully for a federal seat in Beaches-East York.
Recently there were rumours she was running for city council in Toronto-Danforth’s ward 29 in the 2010 election.
That is not the case as she will not be running for political office of any kind now that she is serving on the Ontario Court of Justice in the Toronto Region, she said.