Bay of Quinte remains blue.
The Progressive Conservatives held onto the southeastern Ontario riding in Thursday's quick-turnaround byelection, with Tyler Allsopp taking the leap from municipal to provincial politics.
The PCs nominated the Belleville city councillor as the party's candidate on Aug. 21 — the same day Premier Doug Ford called the byelection for Sept. 19.
Ford wasted no time, making the announcement just five days after former minister Todd Smith's surprise resignation.
By 9:35 p.m., with more than 90 per cent of the polls reporting, Allsopp had 39 per cent of the vote, followed by Liberal Sean Kelly at 33 per cent. The NDP candidate, Amanda Robertson, trailed with 23 per cent, followed by the Green's Lori Borthwick at 3 per cent.
Allsopp has served on Bellville's council since 2021, when he was appointed to the post after another councillor died. He’d lost in the 2018 election but was re-elected in 2022.
The Tories' decision to quickly call a byelection proved fruitful.
By the time Allsopp was publicly introduced as the PC candidate, he'd already had media training and other kinds of pre-campaign briefings, a PC Party source previously told The Trillium. The rush, according to the source, was to try to take advantage of what the Tories saw as a lack of organization in the riding on the Liberal side and the PC riding association having a cash advantage.
“Tyler is exactly the type of leader we need at Queen’s Park. He’s ready to fight the costly Liberal carbon tax and will help us get it done for Bay of Quinte by widening Highway 401 and building a new interchange to help get people where they need to be faster. I’m proud to welcome him to our strong team,” Premier Ford said in a statement last month.
Smith, his predecessor, praised Allsopp as someone who would "work hard to get it done."
“His deep roots in the community and experience in business will make him a powerful voice for the great people of Bay of Quinte at Queen’s Park," said Smith, who left politics for the private sector after representing Bay of Quinte, and one of the ridings it was created from, since 2011.
Smith won nearly 50 per cent of the vote in both the 2018 and 2022 provincial elections, which saw him run to be the provincial representative for Bay of Quinte — a riding that includes Prince Edward County, Quinte West and part of Belleville.
Allsopp and Kelly, the Liberal candidate, were the perceived frontrunners in the Sept. 19 byelection. Like Allsopp, Kelly is also a Belleville councillor and has served in the role since 2018. He's also the programming director for Quinte Broadcasting and hosts a morning radio show.
The Tories' win comes as speculation continues about whether Premier Ford will call a provincial election earlier than the scheduled June 2026 date. Ford ruled out a 2024 election, but didn't do the same for next year.
-With files from Aidan Chamandy and Jessica Smith Cross
