By David Judd
BOBBI Ann Brady romped to victory in last Thursday’s Ontario election, easily winning a second term as Haldimand-Norfolk’s independent MPP.
Her win was one for the history books.
Ms. Brady, 49, of Lynedoch was the only independent candidate elected in 124 ridings across the province, a feat she first accomplished in the last provincial election in 2022.
It’s the first time in Ontario that an independent MPP, who never was an MPP with one of the parties, was re-elected to a second term.
Ms. Brady convincingly beat her five opponents.
Subject to confirmation by Elections Ontario, she topped all 61 polls in Haldimand-Norfolk, capturing 63 per cent of the 52,896 votes.
Her total of 33,669 votes was more than 20,000 higher than second-place finisher PC Amy Martin’s 12,949 votes (24.5 per cent).
Liberal Vandan Patel trailed with 2,918 votes (5.5 per cent).
New Democrat Erica Englert got 2,147 votes (4.1 per cent); Anna Massinen of the Green Party 821 (1.6 per cent); and Garry Tanchak of the New Blue Party 392 (0.7 per cent.)
Ms. Brady fought back tears as she greeted family and 200 supporters at her victory celebration at her campaign office on the Queensway in Simcoe.
“I knew this was going to be an emotional one,” she said as she thanked everyone.
“This campaign was personal. This felt personal….
“This was not an easy campaign,” Ms. Brady said.
“None of them are easy but this one was particularly difficult.”
Last April Premier Doug Ford taunted Ms. Brady that she would be without a job after this election.
Mr. Ford’s Progressive Conservatives secured a third majority government last Thursday.
But Mr. Ford was way off in his prediction about Haldimand-Norfolk.
His handpicked candidate, Norfolk mayor Amy Martin, placed second everywhere in Haldimand-Norfolk, even in her hometown of Port Dover.
Voters at the Port Dover Community Centre gave Ms. Brady 1,223 votes to Ms. Martin’s 352.
In 2022, PC candidate and Haldimand mayor Ken Hewitt lost to Ms. Brady by slightly more than 2,000 votes — 15,921 votes (35 per cent) for Ms. Brady and 13,851 (30 per cent) for Mr. Hewitt.
Last Thursday Ms. Brady beat Ms. Martin by more than 20,000 votes, 10 times the margin over Mr. Hewitt.
“I stand before you with a heart brimming with so many things but, most importantly, gratitude,” Ms. Brady told supporters.
“We have indeed achieved a monumental victory and I am deeply honoured to return to Queen’s Park.”
She added: “I will continue to ask the toughest, most honest questions.”
Ms. Brady was executive assistant to longtime PC MPP Toby Barrett for 23 years.
Mr. Barrett wanted Ms. Brady to run as PC candidate in 2022 but Mr. Ford chose Mayor Hewitt instead.
With Mr. Barrett’s support, Ms. Brady ran and won as an independent, the first time in Ontario that an independent had been elected without first serving as MPP with one of the political parties.
Premier Ford chose Ms. Martin as Haldimand-Norfolk’s PC candidate in the Feb. 27 snap election.
She took a leave of absence from her job as Norfolk’s mayor.
Polls closed last Thursday at 9 p.m.
The crowd at Ms. Brady’s campaign office were soon cheering as results trickled then flooded in.
The first poll to report—Waterford United Church—set the pattern, with Ms. Brady getting 609 votes to Ms. Martin’s 185.
Moments later a poll from Fisherville confirmed the landslide with its totals of 809 votes for Ms. Brady and 174 for Ms. Martin.
Mr. Barrett and former Norfolk mayor Kristal Chopp were prominent among Ms. Brady’s well wishers last Thursday.
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Originally published March 5, 2025
