Ontario Votes 2025: Niagara West

• Read all of CBC Hamilton's coverage of the Ontario election here. 

With a population of about 97,000, this riding borders Hamilton and Haldimand-Norfolk, and includes Grimsby, Lincoln, Pelham, West Lincoln, Wainfleet and a western part of St. Catharines.

The relatively rural riding stretches from Lake Ontario in the north to Lake Erie in the south. 

Manufacturing, health care and retail are some of the biggest industries in the area, which is also home to many grape growers. According to the 2021 Census, the average total income for residents in 2020 was $57,800. Visible minorities make up about nine per cent of the population. 

Though the riding boundaries have changed, this region has long been represented by Progressive Conservatives in Queen's Park, including by Tim Hudak, who served as party leader from 2009 to 2014. 

In 2022, Niagara West voters re-elected PC candidate Sam Oosterhoff with about 45 per cent of the vote. Oosterhoff beat second-place candidate Dave Augustyn with the NDP by about 10,000 votes.

Augustyn, the former mayor of Pelham, is running for the NDP again. Other major party candidates include fitness instructor Shauna Doyle with the Liberals and businessperson Mark Harrison with the Greens. 

One way the parties are courting Niagara West voters is with promises to make getting around easier. During the election campaign, the PCs, NDP and Liberals committed to building a GO station in Grimsby. The PCs have promised to widen the Queen Elizabeth Way between St. Catharines and Burlington — a move they say would make travel faster. 

CBC Hamilton sent a survey to major party candidates, or their party representatives. Their responses, edited for length and clarity, are reflected below.

Other candidates running include Aaron Albano with the New Blue Party, Aaron Allison for the Ontario Party, Stefanos Karatopis as a Libertarian and Jim Torma for Populist Ontario.

Dave Augustyn, NDP

Augustyn, 55, was the mayor of Pelham and a Niagara Regional Councillor from 2006 to 2018. In recent years, he worked as a consultant.

Augustyn says he's running to hire doctors and nurses, "save the Welland Hospital emergency department," and build affordable homes, among other things.  

"If you work for a living, you ought to make a living," Augustyn said, adding the NDP have a plan to "ensure wages keep up with the cost of living," and will make it easier for workers to join a union. 

He also said voters deserve to get health care close to home, and afford good homes in the communities they want to live in. 

Shauna Boyle, Liberal 

Boyle, 47, is a fitness instructor who said she's running "to give people an option for a representative who understands their struggles," because she has "lived them."

She said she and her party would work to address health-care challenges in the riding with evening and weekend family health team support, integrated home care for seniors, and the addition of 1,200 internationally trained doctors. 

The Liberals would "slash taxes on new homes," and eliminate the land transfer tax for first-time buyers, seniors downsizing and non-profit builders, Boyle added. 

Sam Oosterhoff, PC Party of Ontario

Oosterhoff did not respond to CBC Hamilton's survey.

He was first elected in a 2016 by-election, becoming the province's youngest MPP ever at 19. He served as Associate Minister of Energy from June 2024. Before that, he was the parliamentary assistant to the Education Minister for four years. Oosterhoff also worked as the parliamentary assistant to the ministers of tourism and red tape reduction.

On his website, Oosterhoff says he's "taken leadership" on issues including human trafficking, French-language education and the redevelopment of West Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Grimsby.

Mark Harrison, Green 

Harrison, 64, is a retired business person who owned two Bulk Barn franchises in Niagara. Originally from England, he's has worked in England, Scotland and South Africa.

He said he through working with the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, David Suzuki Foundation and in food retail, he "gained invaluable insights" into issues including urban sprawl, affordable housing, health care and the cost of living. 

"As a recently retired businessman, I understand how critical it is to balance sustainability with fiscal responsibility. In a world of short-term fixes, we need long-term solutions—and I am confident in my ability to help lead that change," Harrision said, adding that he is a "fiscal Green."

Also running

• Aaron Albano, New Blue Party: Information about Albano's campaign is not readily available online.
• Aaron Allison, Ontario Party: A campaign website is not available for Allison.
• Stefanos Karatopis, Libertarian: On his campaign website, Karatopis says he owns a poultry business and has served on a number of community associations.
• Jim Torma, Populist Ontario: He does not have a campaign website available.