Province sets Hamilton Centre byelection for March 16

Hamilton Centre residents will vote in a provincial byelection on Thursday, March 16, a vote that will replace former NDP member of provincial parliament (MPP) Andrea Horwath, who stepped down to run for mayor in August.

"A writ was issued today under Section 9.1 of the Election Act for a byelection in the electoral district of Hamilton Centre," stated a brief release from the province issued Wednesday morning.

"Under the Election Act, elections must be called on a Wednesday and held the fifth Thursday after the date of the issue of the writ." 

The election will see at least four candidates run for the seat: Lucia Iannantuono for the Green Party, Sarah Jama for the NDP, Deirdre Pike for the Liberals and Pete Wiesner for the Progressive Conservatives. All four are confirmed candidates and many of which have already been out campaigning over the last few weeks. 

The byelection date falls during March break, when many families with school-aged children often travel.

While the responsibility to choose a byelection day falls to the Lieutenant Governor, under the Legislative Assembly Act, it is widely understood that such decisions are made by the premier and their cabinet. 

CBC Hamilton asked provincial spokesperson Caitlin Clark about why the March date was chosen. She noted byelections must be called six months after a member leaves their seat. 

"Today was the final day the writ had to be issued," she wrote in an email Wednesday morning.

According to Elections Ontario, residents can cast an early ballot at the returning office at the Centre on Barton as early as Feb. 16.

After signing writs triggering the byelection, Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell said Wednesday morning the act represented a milestone.

"These are the first election writs in Ontario bearing the name of His Majesty King Charles III," she said.

Elections Ontario says voters should be aware of the following key dates:

• Feb. 16 to March 15: Voters can cast ballots at the riding's returning office at the Centre on Barton from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., although voting closes at 6 p.m. on March 15. 
• March 10: Deadline to submit application to vote by mail. (Applications available at elections.on.ca)
• March 2: Candidate nominations close at 2 p.m.
• March 5-10: Advance voting locations open throughout the ward, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• March 15-16: Political advertising blackout in effect. 
• March 16: Vote on election day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

People who require assistive voting technology can vote at the Barton Street returning office between Feb. 16 and March 16, says Elections Ontario.

The organization is urging voters to "confirm, update or add their information to the voters list at eregistration.elections.on.ca so that they will be mailed a voter information card with information about when and where to vote. Voter information cards will be on their way starting February 28."

For more information on how to vote — including for people who are in the hospital, are students, or are without a permanent address — visit the Elections Ontario website.

Four main parties have chosen candidates

So far, candidates from the province's four main political parties have stated their intention to run. 

Lucia Iannantuono is running for the Green Party. Her campaign website says she is a hardware engineer who has been "active in Hamilton's environmental movement."

Sarah Jama was announced as the NDP's candidate in the fall. She is a well-known disability and housing activist, working as the executive director of the Disability Justice Network of Ontario and a member of the Hamilton Encampment Support Network.

Deirdre Pike will represent the Ontario Liberal Party after being nominated last month. Pike is a researcher and Hamilton Spectator columnist, who runs her own equity consultancy and is an outreach program consultant for the Anglican Diocese of Niagara. 

Pete Wiesner, a police sergeant, was recently announced as the Ontario Progressive Conservative party candidate. Wiesner has been an officer with the Hamilton Police Service for 22 years, and has been the supervising sergeant of the crisis response branch since 2019. 

Provincially, the city has four other ridings: Hamilton Mountain, currently held by NDP MPP Monique Taylor; Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas, held by NDP MPP Sandy Shaw; Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, held by PC MPP Neil Lumsden and Flamborough–Glanbrook, held by PC MPP Donna Skelly. 

Hamilton-Centre encompasses the city's downtown and a sizeable area to the east, and has been without an MPP since August.