Progressive Conservatives re-open Newmarket-Aurora nomination

March 15, 2018 · 0 Comments

The Progressive Conservative Party has re-opened nominations in Newmarket-Aurora.
The party announced Thursday night that nominations would be re-opened in the ridings of Newmarket-Aurora, Mississauga Centre and Brampton North.
“Doug Ford has been clear, the membership of our Party must be respected and heard,” said PC President Jag Badwal in a statement. “Earlier today, the Ontario PC Party’s Provincial Nominations Committee (PNC) met. The unanimous decision of the PNC was to reopen nominations in…Brampton North, Mississauga Centre and Newmarket-Aurora. The PNC has set aside the nomination in Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas as a result of the flawed process.”
Last April, Charity McGrath secured Newmarket-Aurora’s Progressive Conservative nomination for this spring’s Provincial election, narrowly beating former Aurora councillor Bill Hogg to the post. Incumbent Newmarket Councillor Tom Vegh placed third in the race.
It was a contentious nomination and the results led to the local Progressive Conservative riding association resigning en masse citing irregularities in the process.
Their appeals were dismissed by former PC leader Patrick Brown.
“I am pleased to learn of the decisions made by the Provincial Nomination Committee,” said Ford in a statement Thursday evening.
The process for this re-opened nomination was not fleshed out by the party at the time of the announcement, with Badwal noting, “further details will be provided at a later date.”

By Brock Weir