Vaughan Liberal incumbent wins riding by landslide

YorkRegion.com
June 13, 2014
By Adam Martin-Robbins

“Thank you Vaughan and thank you Ontario.”

That’s how Liberal incumbent Steven Del Duca, his wife and daughters at his side, summed up tonight’s election victory for his party, which won in a landslide locally and secured a majority provincially.

Del Duca captured 29,860 votes to best runner-up PC Candidate Peter Meffe, who grabbed 14,628 votes at press time with 298 of 321 polls reporting.

NDP candidate Marco Coletta pulled in 6,520 while Green candidate Matthew Pankhurst garnered 1,203 and Libertarian candidate Paolo Fabrizio earned 1,171.

Del Duca, who was fist elected in a 2012 byeletion, attributed his win to the big-ticket infrastructure investments the Liberal government has made in Vaughan over the past decade such as the hospital, the Hwy. 427 extension and expanded GO train service.

“I believe that over the last two years, because, I’m part of a government that’s led by someone like Premier Kathleen Wynne, that I’ve been able to demonstrate that we have the best plan,” he said. “(And) that I’ve been able to deliver those positive results, more than $900 million in investments…The people of Vaughan spoke very loudly and very clearly, they want us to keep moving forward in the same direction.”

Local Liberals celebrated at Supreme Banquet Hall on Weston Road with hundreds of supporters who clapped, cheered and danced to Bill Haley and His Comets’ Rock Around the Clock, when word of the victory in Vaughan and across Ontario was announced around 10 p.m.

Del Duca entered a short while later to Pharrell Williams hit song Happy.

Among the hundreds there to congratulate him were a number of Vaughan city council members including Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua, Deputy Mayor Gino Rosati, Regional Councillor Deb Schulte, Maple/Kleinburg Councillor Marilyn Iafrate and Woodbridge West Councillor Tony Carella.

“I’m very happy with the outcome. I think it’s the best thing for the province of Ontario and certainly for the city of Vaughan and municipalities throughout the province,” said Bevilacqua, who served fro 22 years as a Liberal MP before being elected mayor in 2010. “The message relayed by Kathleen Wynne and the Liberals was one of hope and optimism and it was a stark contrast with what other parties were offering. And for the city of Vaughan this has been a government that has been true to its word whether related to the (Hwy.) 427 extension, the subway, the hospital. This fits very well with the city’s agenda for a bright future.”

At press time, the Liberals were project to end up with 58 seats out of 107 seats to return to a majority government after being reduced to a minority following the 2011 election. The PCs were expected to wind up with 27 seats and NDP with 22.

A lot of people chalked that up to PC leader Tim Hudak’s million jobs plan that would have cut 100,000 public sector jobs in a bid to stimulate the economy.

Many people felt that approach smacked of the cuts made by former PC premier Mike Harris.

“In every single corner of this riding, virtually every house I went to, people were absolutely dejected and disappointed because Tim Hudak put forward a very reckless and dangerous plan that would have moved Ontario backward,” Del Duca said.

Teachers and education support workers echoed those comments at the polls tonight.

“I’m worried about it. We’re all worried about it,” John Bencardino, who works as an elementary school custodian, said outside St. Gregory the Great Catholic Academy in east Woodbridge.

Hudak resigned in the wake of the defeat.