For Liberal incumbent MPP Kathleen Wynne, this has been a week of good news.
Not only did she propel herself to victory in what many called “a riding to watch” in Don Valley West, her daughter gave birth to her second child.
Wynne faced what seemed like a tough road to re-election, with first-time Progressive Conservative candidate Andrea Mandel-Campbell carrying a reputation as serious competition. As a former anchor for CTV’s Business News Network, Mandel-Campbell had a recognizable face and name.
But election night proved something of an anti-climax, with Wynne quickly building to a vote total of 24,454 votes, or 58.3 per cent of the total.
Now Wynne and the Liberals face a new challenge, as they begin to figure out how to run Ontario with an apparent minority government. This is something Wynne says will not change how the Liberals govern.
“In either case, majority or minority, we are going to continue to strengthen education, health care and bring jobs to the province,” she said.
The diverse background of the riding’s residents was visible at Wynne’s victory party at the Cypriot Greek Community Centre on Thorncliffe Park Drive. Men, women and children from a multitude of different backgrounds gathered to celebrate her win.
Wynne believes inclusiveness and diversity is what Don Valley West represents.
“No matter where we came from, we all came from somewhere else. Some came 140 years ago, some came 140 days ago,” she said.
“We have demonstrated that we believe that tolerance and compassion and embracing differences is what we do in Don Valley West.”
Marcia Camaraire, a resident of the area for 10 years, commented on the mix found in Don Valley West.
“From Bayview to the middle-class areas with newly landed Canadians, Don Valley West has it all. People of different languages, socio-economic backgrounds, and races,” she said. “I love that, but it does make for a difficult riding for politicians to reach.”
In Wynne’s victory speech, she discussed her plans for the riding.
“We are going to continue to work on tenant issues, auto insurance, getting the arena built in Leaside and building a cricket field,” she said. “More fundamentally, we need to keep our education system the most excellent in the world.”