Residents may be uncertain about the proposed plans from some of York-Simcoe’s MPP hopefuls.
Since Ontario Progressive Conservative leader and then-premier Doug Ford called an early election on Jan. 28, candidates have been lining up to offer their visions for the riding before voters go to the polls on Feb. 27 — about 15 months ahead of schedule.
As part of our Ontario Votes election coverage, BradfordToday planned to profile each of the candidates in the York-Simcoe riding, but three of the eight people registered didn’t respond to our requests for comment.
Those include incumbent Caroline Mulroney (Ontario Progressive Conservative Party), Jennifer Baron (Green Party of Ontario) and Alana Hollander (Ontario Party).
Caroline Mulroney
Mulroney has been the MPP for York-Simcoe since the 2018 election and has held cabinet positions as Minister of Transportation, Minister of Francophone Affairs and, more recently, president of the Treasury Board.
The daughter of former prime minister Brian Mulroney, she graduated from Harvard College and the NYU School of Law, and before entering politics worked as an associate at Shearman and Sterling, associate director of the NYU Center for Law and Business, a financial analyst with Bear Stearns and Co., as well as vice-president of BloombergSen Investment Partners, according to her website.
Following multiple calls and emails, Mulroney’s team committed to responding to a standard list of questions asked of all candidates, but never did.
For more information about the PC campaign, visit its website.
Jennifer Baron
According to a press release from the Green Party of Ontario, Baron is a Georgina resident with a master’s of education in school leadership who has taught in local elementary schools for close to 30 years, and also taught environmental education at Nipissing and York universities.
Following multiple emails, party staff claimed Baron was not available for an interview, and questions about when she would become available went unanswered.
Details about the Green campaign can be found on the party website.
Alana Hollander
Alana Hollander previously ran as a candidate for the Ontario Party during the 2022 election, and at the time said she was drawn to the party for it’s stance against COVID-19 restrictions.
Then a resident of the Holland Marsh, Hollander emphasized the importance of agriculture and said she was drawn to the party’s plans for education as she was also homeschooling her children.
Founded in 2018 and led by former Conservative MP Derek Sloan since late 2021, the socially conservative Ontario Party currently emphasizes freedom, family, and faith with a core belief of protecting the province's sovereignty.
Multiple messages to the Ontario Party requesting contact information for Hollander went unanswered.
For more information about the Ontario Party campaign, visit its website.
Further details on voting on Feb. 27 can be found at Elections Ontario’s website.
— With files from Rob Paul